30 bucket list items college football fans need to experience

4. The Army-Navy Game

Go Army. Beat Navy. Go Navy. Beat Army.

There may not be a more unique atmosphere in all of sports than the annual Army-Navy Game. The conclusion of the college football regular season, it has become tradition to schedule the clash between the United States Military Academy and the United States Naval Academy on a Saturday all its own.

After the dust has settled elsewhere in college football, after the bowl games and College Football Playoff pairings have been set, arguably the sport’s best example of playing “for the love of the game” takes place. Unlike many of college football’s better-known rivalries, the players at Army and Navy are highly unlikely to have an opportunity to play pro football. The players on the field, some playing the game for the final time, have committed to serve their country after they graduate.

It’s also televised nationally, and is understandably one of the highest-rated matchups of the regular season. It’s one of the rare neutral site matchups that truly raises the level of atmosphere for those in attendance.

More often than not, Army and Navy meet in Philadelphia, but always play in a venue large enough (usually an NFL stadium) to hold the tens of thousands of Cadets, Midshipmen, veterans and fans that travel to see it. Of the 117 all-time meetings since 1890, 86 have occurred in the City of Brotherly Love, most recently in 2015. Last year’s contest in Baltimore, a 21-17 Army upset, ended a record streak of 14 consecutive victories. Overall, the Midshipmen lead the series 60-50-7.