Tennessee Football: Vols not getting blown out by Alabama, yet by Matthew Bartlett

Army football became the first bowl bound team after they accepted a bowl game invitation following their 31-28 overtime win against Temple Saturday.

The Black Knights will be bowling for the second consecutive season come December when they play in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, unless they qualify for a New Year’s Six bowl – no team could turn that opportunity down.

After consecutive road losses to Ohio State and Tulane, Army has ripped off four straight wins, beating UTEP, Rice, Eastern Michigan and Temple. Their latest victory brings their record to 6-2, officially bowl eligible.

In last season’s Heart of Dallas Bowl, the Black Knights beat North Texas in overtime by a score of 38-31. They last played in the Armed Forces Bowl in 2010 against Southern Methodist, a game they won 16-14. Their opponent for the Armed Forces Bowl is yet to be determined, but we know they’ll hail from Conference USA. The game will be played in Fort Worth, Texas, at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

They’re in! @ArmyWP_Football has officially accepted a bid to this years #LMAFB. More at https://t.co/hkevyWgnb6 pic.twitter.com/sERnhrm0SU — LM Armed Forces Bowl (@ArmedForcesBowl) October 21, 2017

The Black Knights have a bye next week, but battle rival Air Force Academy on Nov. 4 at Falcon Stadium. Part of a three-way series along with Navy, the Commander-in-Chief series is one of only a few three-way rivalries that award a trophy to its winner. Army last won the Commander-in-Chiefs trophy in 1996.

The win by Army wasn’t the only notable happening from a service academy in Week 8. On Friday night Air Force rushed for an astounding 550 yards in a 45-42 victory over Nevada to move their record to 3-4. Navy (5-1) is currently in a close game with UCF. All three service academies are off to promising starts this season, and while they might not get the accolades of other big-name Power 5 schools, it’s always encouraging to see them playing well.