Be all that you can be: Army is bowl eligible and a serious Group of Five contender for CFP bid

It's not a gimmick, folks! Army is officially bowl-eligible after stomping UAB on Saturday, 44-10, to improve to 6-0 on the season. Like they always do, Army dominated the ground game, rushing for 413(!) yards, which is over 100 more than UAB's total yards on the day.

Quarterback Bryson Daily dominated again, scoring five touchdowns, four of them coming on the ground and none of them being more impressive than this one, which included a stiff arm that felt personal.

Daily showed off his arm a bit, too, connecting with Casey Reynolds on a 50-yard touchdown. Daily doesn't throw it often, but has shown nice touch on deep balls when he does drop back. He's not going to win the Heisman this year but Daily has been one of the most important and impressive players in the country this season.

After surpassing 900 rushing yards last season, Daily is on track to smash that number this year. On Saturday, he rushed for over 100 yards for the fifth straight game, an Army record.

Army is a legit College Football Playoff threat

Halfway through the regular season, Army is playing like a real threat to earn a berth in the College Football Playoff. Plus, with games still remaining against Navy — who is also still undefeated — and 11th-ranked Notre Dame, Army has some potential high-caliber wins remaining on its schedule.

If Army wins the American Conference Championship game, it can likely afford to drop the game against Norte Dame and still earn a playoff berth as long as it beats Navy in the storied rivalry and captures the American Conference title.

Army is defying the odds

Before the season, Army was predicted to be a middling team in the AAC, and if they did qualify for a bowl game, it was likely going to be toward the end of the season, not exactly six games into the season. But as long as the Cadets don't drop games they should win with ease — like Air Force and UTSA — then a playoff berth should be on the horizon.

There is basically no better way to welcome in the 12-team CFP than by having a team in it that runs the triple option. It's what the people want, and it's what the people deserve. Army isn't a fluke, and this might be the best team Jeff Monken has ever coached.