Navy had the edge
The Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen arrived to Gillette Stadium on Saturday to play the 124th edition of America’s Game, but they couldn’t do so without the New England Patriots getting in on the action.
It’s their stadium after all.
In the hours leading up to kickoff, the Patriots released a video with members of the team making their picks for Army-Navy. If you know anything about who runs the show in New England, you probably have a solid idea of who received the most votes.
Navy was the prevailing favorite, earning 18 total votes from Brenden Schooler, Ezekiel Elliott, Lawrence Guy, Cody Davis, Bryce Baringer, Chad Ryland, Hunter Henry, Rhamondre Stevenson, Josh Uche, Joe Cardona, Jalen Mills, Pharaoh Brown, Atonio Mafi, Tyquan Thornton, William Bradley-King, Bailey Zappe, Mike Gesicki and David Andrews.
Those who are rooting for the Midshipmen were definitely aware of the program’s significance in New England, as Cardona attended the Naval Academy, while head coach Bill Belichick’s father, Steve, coached and scouted them for more than 30 seasons.
Army, on the other hand, received 12 votes. Jahlani Tavai, Mack Wilson, Davon Godchaux, Jabrill Peppers, Sam Roberts, Matt Sokol, Cole Strange, Michael Onwenu, Deatrich Wise Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, Malik Cunningham and Conor McDermott like the Black Knights.
You can add Belichick to Navy’s list, as well, though he made his pick on ESPN’s “College GameDay.”
Army and Navy will kick things off from Gillette Stadium at 3 p.m. ET on CBS.