USA TODAY
March 20, 2026, 12:52 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump issued an executive order reserving a four‑hour television window exclusively for the annual Army‑Navy football game to protect it from scheduling conflicts, especially amid discussions of expanding the College Football Playoff. The order was announced at a White House ceremony where the Navy team received the Commander‑in‑Chief’s trophy. Navy won the 2025 Commander‑in‑Chief’s trophy by beating Army 17‑16 and Air Force 34‑31, marking its second consecutive title and 13 wins in the past 23 years.
President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order will prevent any other college football games from infringing on the exclusive television window for the annual Army-Navy clash.
Trump revealed his plan on Friday, March 20 at a White House ceremony as he presented the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy to the Navy football team.
The Army-Navy game has traditionally had the second Saturday in December all to itself, coming the week after conference championship games, but before the start of the bowl season. However, there has been some concern that a possible expansion of the College Football Playoff might necessitate moving first-round games a week earlier – potentially conflicting with Army-Navy.
Trump says the order will prevent any other games from being played during a four-hour window reserved for the Army-Navy game, though it’s not clear how the order would be enforced.
Navy won the 2025 Commander-in-Chief’s trophy by having the best record in games between the service acadamies, defeating Army 17-16 and beating Air Force 34-31. Navy has won the title each of the past two seasons and 13 times in the last 23 years.