Army Football Led AAC Into Being Named Best Group of 5 Conference

Army was a major reason why the AAC was named the best Group of 5 conference by the "Play the Fight Song" podcast.

Photos from #22 Army vs. Louisiana Tech in the Radiance Technology Independence Bowl on Saturday, December 28, 2024, in Shreveport, LA / Paul Karge/The Shreveport Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Army football program experienced something this past season for the first time in a while; being part of a conference.

From 2005-2023, the Black Knights operated as an Independent school, picking their own schedule and matching up with whomever they wanted to on the gridiron.

That decision came after they were in Conference USA for a short stint from 1998-2004.

But unlike their previous tenure as a member of a conference, Army was able to have major success this time around, winning the AAC in their inaugural season.

It was an impressive showing from the Black Knights and head coach Jeff Monken, going undefeated against AAC opponents and beating Tulane in the title game. They quickly rebounded after losing to Navy in the Army-Navy Game, turning around and dominating Louisiana Tech in the bowl game to finish with a program-record 12 wins.

Accolades have been thrown at Army, the coaching staff and their players since, and this latest update will certainly add to that.

The American Athletic Conference was crowned the best at the Group of 5 level by the "Play The Fight Song" podcast based on having three teams win 10-plus games and the impressive 6-2 bowl record that was produced.

Our Unanimous Best G5 Conference of 2024 • @American_Conf pic.twitter.com/MUc62CgDBG

— Play The Fight Song (@PlayTheFightPod) February 5, 2025

At the forefront of that is Army.

They not only finished undefeated in conference play, but their two losses on the season came against the eventual national championship runner-ups Notre Dame and their archrival Navy.

The Black Knights quickly hit the ground running in their new AAC environment, and Monken continues to prove he's one of the best coaches in the country.

How they perform in the 2025 campaign will be interesting to see based on virtually every team in the American Athletic Conference having motivation to get some revenge.

But there's no doubt Army proved a lot of the doubters wrong this year, even being a major catalyst for the AAC to take home this designation of being the best Group of 5 conference.

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