Army coach Jeff Monken could certainly stand tall as he was introduced for his second appearance at the American Conference Football Media Days on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe holds the distinction of the only coach in the building today to have never lost a conference game in the American \u2026 eight-and-oh,\u2019\u2019 noted commissioner Tim Pernetti. Add to that a win over Tulane in the championship game, and Army beat nine American foes as part of an historic 12-win season in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a tremendous story.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a small sample size, with Army having joined the league only last season, but that makes the Black Knights<\/a> the envy of the 14-team circuit.<\/p>\n It was noted several times on Friday that the American was very competitive last season, with four teams in legitimate contention for a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff \u2013 though eventually left out. Undaunted, the league posted a 6-2 mark during bowl season, earning the Bowl Challenge Cup. Army played its part with a 27-6 win over Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl, finishing ranked No. 21 in both the AP and coaches\u2019 polls.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be in those conversations (for the CFP) was pretty exciting and fantastic for our program and for West Point,\u2019\u2019 Monken said. He noted the timing was finally right to make the move from independent status to affiliated play. \u201cThat wouldn\u2019t have happened had we not joined the conference and become part of the American. We are very honored and thrilled to be a part of this league, and looking forward to this season.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n Following the trend of other conferences, a media poll was not conducted. With notable personnel losses on the offense, Army is predicted to take a step back, picked for a three-way tie for fourth place by Phil Steele magazine,<\/a> fourth by Lindy\u2019s Sports and ESPN and fifth in Athlon Sports<\/a> and two prominent betting websites. Navy, Tulane and Memphis have notable top three predictions by the same sources.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were able to beat all the teams in the league that we faced and then win the conference championship, which is a great source of pride for our team and for our program,\u2019\u2019 Monken said. \u201cBut that’s last year, and nobody \u2026 is going to give us a head start or any points on the scoreboard when we kick it off because we won the league last year. We’re going to have to earn it.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n Monken said the approach remains the same: win every play and focus only on the game at hand \u2013 Army hosts Tarleton State in the season opener on Aug. 29.<\/p>\n