Army Loses Independence Bowl Opponent After Coaching Change, Transfer Portal Wave

The Army Black Knights are having a dream season, and can secure their legacy at Saturday's Army-Navy Game in Landover, Md. Army is ranked No. 22 in the final College Football Playoff Top 25, with an 11–1 record after winning the AAC championship with a blowout win over Tulane. Quarterback Bryson Daily finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting.

And yet... the Black Knights don't have an opponent for the Independence Bowl on Dec. 28.

With all due respect for the Independence Bowl, it is usually a game reserved for Power 4 programs floating around the seven-win mark, not a team that was on the periphery of the College Football Playoff conversation. The Black Knights were set to face Sun Belt champion Marshall, a solid 10–3 squad but one that played through coaching tumult all season, to the point that coach Charles Huff left the program for 1–11 Southern Miss, a conference foe that went winless in the Sun Belt this season.

Huff's departure led to a wave of Marshall players entering the transfer portal. With 25-plus players set to opt out, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, the Thundering Herd have withdrawn from the Independence Bowl.

WIthout any 6–6 teams available to slide in, Army will likely face whichever 5–7 program has the highest NCAA academic progress rate (APR) score.

There are certainly some enticing potential matchups among the 5–7 teams, like a Kansas team that lost numerous close games before catching fire to end the season. Other potential foes include Utah, Michigan State, Wisconsin, UCLA and Auburn.

Even if Army backs into a game against a name program, they deserved better than this kind of matchup given the season it's had. Unfortunately for the Black Knights, the AAC bowl tie-ins are what they are, and Boise State never opened the door for a Playoff berth with a second loss.