The combined 2-17 record of the two teams is the second worst in series history, and neither team will be playing in a postseason bowl. But even as five Conference USA teams continue to play for three bowl spots, C-USA member Army will play Navy for something more priceless.

"I think it's probably the greatest rivalry in college football," Navy quarterback Ed Malinowski said. "You are going to watch guys who are playing because they want to play football, not because they are going to go to the NFL. These are guys who are going to serve our country the next couple of years, just a whole bunch of guys who love to play the game."

Army coach Todd Berry participated in his first Army-Navy game last year and said, "It was awesome. I knew it was going to be a special experience, but for everyone who told me there's no way to describe it, they were right. I can't describe it to recruits sometimes. It's unlike any other game. It is truly a national treasure."

"To us it is always huge," Army tight end Clint Dodson added. "I played last year, and I really couldn't imagine it being any bigger."

This year's game might not be any bigger to the players, but it will take on a different meaning in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the war in Afghanistan.

With a resurgence of patriotism and all 67,000 tickets sold for this year's game, as well as several patriotic events leading up to the game, the passion will add even more energy to the big-game atmosphere.

"After Sept. 11, though, I realized pretty quickly that football is down here," said Army linebacker Brian Zickefoose said, holding a hand near his left knee, "and that being in military service is up here," he said, raising the hand above his head.

"When you lose a football game, no one loses a life. It's just football. What these guys are going to be doing in six months is much more important."

Nevertheless, the game remains important for both teams. It's been a frustrating season for both Army (2-8, 2-5 C-USA) and Navy (0-9), and one win in this game could salvage something positive.

"I think it would be a bit of compensation for the season that we've had," Dodson said. "It's always been a big thing for each academy to beat the other one. I think this would be a great honor as a senior to go out the right way."

While Army takes on Navy for an intangible reward, five other C-USA teams will continue to play for something more tangible over the next two weeks. Louisville already has claimed the C-USA championship and the Liberty Bowl berth, but with three bowl spots available, the winners will help their cause and the losers likely will tumble out of the bowl picture.

Southern Miss (6-3, 4-2 C-USA) has two more chances to earn a bowl berth, with a Thursday game at Alabama and a Dec. 7 game home against TCU. TCU (5-5, 3-3 C-USA) won't play again until the Southern Miss game.

On Saturday, UAB (6-4, 5-2 C-USA) plays at Pittsburgh, Cincinnati (6-4, 5-2 C-USA) is home against Louisiana-Monroe and East Carolina (6-5, 5-2 C-USA) sits around contemplating all the "what ifs" after closing out the regular season with losses to Louisville and Southern Miss.

Strategy and personnel

GAMES OF THE WEEK
Southern Miss at Alabama, Thursday -- These teams usually play each other close and hard regardless of the circumstances, but this year a bowl invitation is likely for the winner and a long offseason is in store for the loser.

Army vs. Navy, Saturday -- This game is always important for both teams, and it's usually a well-played, intense and close game regardless of the records and the circumstances. But with everything that's happened since Sept. 11, the game will be even more electric than usual.

UAB at Pittsburgh, Saturday -- This looked like just another non-conference game in September, before it was postponed. Now, Pittsburgh needs a win just to become bowl-eligible, and UAB needs a win to attract the attention of bowl scouts.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Dawayne Woods, Southern Miss RB -- Woods entered this season as something of a journeyman, but he's emerged as a capable back in recent games and helped Southern Miss improve its overall offense. The running game needs to be a factor for the Golden Eagles to open up the passing game and beat Alabama.

Roy Magee and Rod Davis, Southern Miss LBs -- The combination of Alabama's running and passing out of the shotgun devastated Auburn's defense. Magee and Davis need to be at their best to slow the Tide's offense.

Curtis Zervic, Army QB -- This will be Zervic's last football game and Army's last chance to salvage something positive from a disappointing season. Zervic doesn't have to be a star, but he needs to play solidly and avoid turnovers for Army to beat Navy.

Thomas Cox and/or Jeff Aaron, UAB QBs -- Pittsburgh will do all it can to stuff UAB's running game, so Cox and Aaron will need to make plays with their arms and their legs on the option to give the Blazers a chance at winning this game.

INJURY IMPACT
UAB QB Jeff Aaron started the first six games of the season before suffering a high ankle sprain, and then Thomas Cox came in and helped the Blazers win four consecutive games. Still, Aaron is considered the better athlete and better passer of the two, and now that he's healthy, look for him to play some kind of role against Pittsburgh. "Jeff is well and he can run the whole deal now," UAB coach Watson Brown said. "If we need to put him in there, we'll put him in there."

Notes, quotes, anecdotes

ARMY
The Black Knights don't send many players to the NFL, but Clint Dodson, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end, is considered a legitimate NFL prospect. "Clint is an integral part of what we do offensively," Army coach Todd Berry said. "We rely on him to catch the football and be dominant on the edge. But Clint's biggest asset is his ability to lead." Dodson leads the Black Knights with 41 receptions for 447 yards and two TDs this season. "It would be a dream come true to play in the NFL," Dodson said. "But I didn't come here thinking that this was my path to (the pros)." ... This is the 102nd meeting between these two programs. The Black Knights have lost two consecutive games and three of the last four. ... Navy and Army have three common opponents from this season's schedule: Tulane, Boston College and Air Force. Navy went 0-3 in those games, losing by a combined score of 104-67, and Army went 1-2, losing by a combined score of 100-69.

CINCINNATI
While the Bearcats turn their attention toward a non-conference game with Louisiana-Monroe, Cincinnati coach Rick Minter can only sit and wait for a bowl invitation.

"What's happened over the last 48 hours is that we've become desirable to a lot of bowl games associated with our league," Minter said Monday, two days after a dramatic 36-34 win over Memphis.

Most likely, that call will come from the Motor City Bowl, but the Bearcats might end up with another option, depending on what happens to the rest of the conference over the next two weeks. The Motor City picks last among C-USA's four bowl tie-ins, and it's still possible that the GMAC Mobile Alabama Bowl and the galleryfurniture.com Bowl will pick Cincinnati first.

As much as Cincinnati would be thankful to go to any bowl, Minter said he wouldn't mind playing in a different bowl after playing in the Motor City last year.

"You wonder if (the players) will have that same excitement," Minter said. "You'd like a little diversification."

EAST CAROLINA
While other prospective C-USA bowl teams get a chance to improve their stock this week, East Carolina already has completed its season, losing consecutive games at home to Louisville and Southern Miss and hurting its bowl stock in the process.

If the Pirates had defeated Southern Miss on Friday, they would have received an invitation from the GMAC Mobile Alabama Bowl. The Southern Miss-Alabama game on Thursday could go a long way toward determining ECU's bowl fate.

"We're in a wait-and-see mode," ECU athletic director Mike Hamrick told the Greenville Daily Reflector. "I've been in discussion with the bowl officials and the commissioner of the conference all day (Sunday) and also some (Monday), so the lines of communication are open."

HOUSTON
The Cougars are 0-10, 0 for their last 14 and likely headed for the program's first winless season in its 56 seasons of existence as they prepare for Saturday's game at Georgia. "It's our bowl game, the way I look at it," said Houston senior defensive end Lee Ingersoll, one of 23 players who will play his final college game on Saturday. "Just to go in there nice and loose, finish up with a good team and in a great college football atmosphere, and just see what we can do." ...

Second-year coach Dana Dimel is already thinking about next year. In fact, he not only spent the Thanksgiving weekend watching Georgia's 31-17 win over Georgia Tech on television, he also spent time on Internet researching Rice and Louisiana-Lafayette, the first two opponents of next season. ... With an eye toward the future, Houston played only three of its 23 eligible freshmen this season (CB Stanford Routt, LB Bryant Brown and FB Matt Schirmer), but Dimel admits "I wish I hadn't played them."

LOUISVILLE
Having already won the C-USA championship, Louisville knows it will be playing in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on New Year's Eve. What Louisville doesn't know is its opponent.

The C-USA champion plays the Mountain West champ in the Liberty Bowl, but Mountain West champ BYU still has a shot at playing in the Fiesta Bowl. If the seventh-ranked Cougars lose at Mississippi State on Saturday or at Hawaii on Dec. 8, they'll play in the Liberty Bowl. If not, all they can do is wait and hope for a BCS spot.

"Everybody likes to talk about the what-ifs, and that is really still two weeks down the road," BYU athletic director Val Hale said. "We've said all along, if we're undefeated on Dec. 9 and there's another invitation out there, then we'll talk. But right now, that's not something we are talking about."

As for the Cardinals, they'll take a short break before returning to practice and a shot at finally winning a bowl after three consecutive bowl losses under coach John L. Smith.

"We really need to hit the academics hard the next couple of weeks, so I'm not going to do much other than have them lift," Smith said. "Then we'll come back and start to break them in, and what we'll probably do is when it goes dead for recruiting, get in a solid routine for a two-week period, then cram it in day after day after day. This is going to be my 19th different scenario for a bowl. We'll see if this one works."

MEMPHIS

Final record -- 5-6, 3-4 in C-USA.

Game of the year -- The Tigers were still 2-2 and trying to decide if they were a decent team when Southern Miss came to town on Oct. 6. Memphis had lost seven consecutive games to the Golden Eagles, but this time the Tigers won 22-17 with four interceptions, five sacks and Derric Ballard's 29-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Player of the year -- The Tigers needed offensive help this year, and got an immediate boost from RB Dante Brown, a junior college transfer who rushed for 902 yards and 11 TDs.

Rapid review -- The Tigers can't say they didn't have their chances. They won the games they were supposed to win and lost the games they were supposed to lose, but in winnable games against midrange C-USA teams, the Tigers lost to UAB and Cincinnati by a combined five points and blew their opportunity to earn a bowl and the program's first winning season since 1994.

Fast forward -- With the return of QB Danny Wimprine, RB Dante Brown and WRs Darron White and Antoine Harden and more time and experience in the spread offense, the Tigers should be even better offensively next season. The Tigers were dangerously inconsistent on defense, going 1-4 at the end of the season and allowing 470 or more yards to three opponents in that stretch. But most of the defense returns next season, so look for the Tigers to make a serious run at a winning record and a bowl berth.

SOUTHERN MISS
After playing perhaps their best game of the season Friday in a 28-21 win at East Carolina, the Golden Eagles will need more of the same against Alabama on Thursday.

"I was real proud of our guys with the way they responded and played against East Carolina," Jeff Bower said. "We didn't get off to a good start (trailing 10-0 in the first quarter), but we did score 22 unanswered points and gain 210 yards in the second quarter. Alabama is better at this time of the year, so we better be ready to play."

Southern Miss is usually considered the underdog in this game, but with a 21-0 win over Alabama last year, the Golden Eagles should carry some confidence into this year's game.

Then again, Alabama hasn't forgotten about that embarrassing loss to Southern Miss, and the Crimson Tide still has a lot left to play for.

"We have to get ourselves ready to compete and it will take a good effort (against Alabama), but we are capable of it," Bower said. "I think this is a real big game for Alabama; it's a major game for them. They are 5-5 and need to get to six to go to a bowl game."

Like Alabama, Southern Miss still has hopes of playing in a bowl game this season.

"There are two bowls out there (GMAC and galleryfurniture.com), but no invitation has been made," Bower said. "We still have business to take care of."

TCU
When TCU plays at Southern Miss on Dec. 7, the Horned Frogs could be playing for a berth in Houston's galleryfurniture.com Bowl. A loss would eliminate TCU from any consideration, and a win could significantly improve the Horned Frogs' chances.

"With TCU still in the picture, there's no way we'd make a decision before the outcome of that game," said David Ippoliti, the bowl's executive director.

TCU lost to two other C-USA bowl contenders, East Carolina and UAB, but the galleryfurniture.com Bowl is interested in selling tickets and staying alive for another year, TCU might be a better choice. TCU also improved its bowl stock with a 37-22 win over C-USA champ Louisville on Friday.

"I've been excited about the possibility of TCU playing here since they entered the league," Ippoliti said. "They struggled in the middle of the season, but they showed (against Louisville) that they could be finishing with a bang."

TULANE

Final record -- 3-9, 1-6 in C-USA

Game of the year -- The Green Wave was 0-6 against Division I-A teams this season when TCU came to New Orleans, but QB Patrick Ramsey passed for 355 yards and four touchdowns -- all in the first half -- and Tulane cruised to a 48-22 win over the Horned Frogs. It turned out to be Tulane's only conference win of the season.

Player of the year -- Ramsey and RB Mewelde Moore set several offensive records and scored a lot of points, but it wasn't enough.

Rapid rewind -- A 70-35 loss to BYU in the season opener proved to be a bad omen to a bad season. The Green Wave also gave up a school-record 495 points and finished in the bottom three in the nation in rushing, total and scoring defense. Less than a week after the season ended, defensive coordinator Pete McGinnis lost his job.

Fast forward -- It wasn't all McGinnis' fault. His defense was loaded with young, small and inexperienced players who needed to grow and learn. Whoever gets his job will return a core of experienced players next season, including CB Lynaris Elpheage. Offensively, Moore returns to give the Green Wave a dangerous runner and receiver, and sophomore J.P. Losman appears ready to step up and take over the starting QB job. With all the right ingredients together and coach Chris Scelfo fighting for his job, look for Tulane to finish closer to .500 next season.

UAB
The Blazers have won six games this season by stopping the run as well as anyone in the nation. In fact, they enter their final regular-season game ranked first in the nation in run defense, allowing only 47.8 rushing yards per game.

But when the Blazers play Pittsburgh on Saturday, they'll face a team that has learned a thing or two this season about stopping the run. The Panthers rank 29th in the nation in rush defense, but more important, they've held their last four opponents -- Virginia Tech, Temple, Rutgers and West Virginia -- to a combined 131 yards on the ground.

That's not good for a team that ranks 109th in the nation in passing and has won its way into bowl contention with the running game and running defense. However, QB Thomas Cox did pass for 223 yards and two touchdowns in UAB's 43-21 victory over Houston two weeks ago.

"Phenomenal," UAB coach Watson Brown said. "We've been good all year. They may be better statistically than we've been all season. They take the run away first. That's what we have lived on. We're going to have to throw the ball well on Saturday to beat them."

QUOTE TO NOTE
"If you're asking whether I think this is a big game for them, then, yes, I do. It's a big game for both teams, a very important game." -- Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower, on the bowl implications surrounding Thursday's game at Alabama.

ODDS AND ENDS
Next year's Army-Navy game will be played at Giants Stadium because of a scheduling conflict in Philadelphia, but Philadelphia officials plan to continue their pursuit of the game. The game has been played Philadelphia 76 times, but the current 12-year contract between the city and the academies expires after Saturday's game. Baltimore was the site of last year's event and wants the game back, and Birmingham, Ala., also has made a play for the game. ...

The new Tangerine Bowl, scheduled for Dec. 20 in Orlando, Fla., is supposed to match the fourth or fifth team in the ACC against the fifth team from the Big East. However, the Big East currently has only four bowl-eligible teams. If Pittsburgh doesn't get its sixth win of the season Saturday against UAB, that will create an at-large spot for some team. One of those teams could be East Carolina, according to Tangerine officials. However, ECU also would be on the same list with teams from the SEC or the Big East. ...

Cincinnati WR Jon Olinger is the C-USA offensive player of the week after catching six passes for a career-high 144 yards and two touchdowns and catching the game-winning touchdown pass with four seconds left in a 36-34 win over Memphis. ... The defensive award went to TCU LB LaMarcus McDonald, who recorded eight tackles, five solo stops, six tackles for 48 yards in losses and 3 1/2 sacks in TCU's 37-22 win over No. 17 Louisville. ... TCU kicker Nick Browne received the special teams award by scoring 13 points against Louisville, including three field goals (22, 50 and 37 yards) and four extra points. The 50-yard field goal was a career long.

-- Richard Scott/The Sports Xchange
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