Will Navy Skip Air Force Football Rivalry?

Winning the Big East Championship means more to Navy football coach Ken Niumtalolo than capturing the Commander-in-Chief's trophy the three service academy football teams battle for each year.

Niumatalolo went on to say he'd rather play Notre Dame every year than the Air Force Academy if scheduling conflicts caused by the Big East forced the Naval Academy to choose.

Since Navy's football team accepted the Big East's invitation to join the conference starting in 2015, these are the choices the Naval Academy athletic director might face.

"If it gets to the point because of scheduling conflicts that we can't play everybody and the schedule is going to become an issue, the Army game will never go anyplace. I'd rather keep Army and Notre Dame and not worry about the Commander-In-Chief's trophy. We're in a conference now. So we need to try to win a conference championship,” Niumatalolo told ESPN.com.

Navy's coach knows he might be alone in this opinion. He expects a backlash from alumni who value the rivalry with the Air Force Academy.

Niumatalolo argued the Academy's rivalry with Notre Dame is vital to the health of its football program, more so than the Air Force Academy. His coaching staff can recruit high school players on the promise they will play national powerhouse Notre Dame every year.

"Notre Dame is a big part of keeping our program vital. It allows us to recruit people that otherwise might not look at us. They're a powerful institution. For our program, now that we're in the league, in my mind that becomes our No. 1 goal,” Niumatalolo told ESPN.com.

Beating Army remains Navy's top priority, no matter what conference the Naval Academy joins, Niumatalolo said. He knows not to mess with that level of tradition.

Army and Navy's football teams have played 112 times with the first game played in 1890. They've played every year since 1930. Navy has won the last ten meetings, a point of pride for current Midshipmen and alumni.

The three service academies have competed for the Commander-in-Chief's trophy since 1972 awarded to the winning team by the president at the White House. Navy has won seven of the last nine CIC trophies, however, Air Force has won the last two.

Navy and Notre Dame have played every year since 1927. Next year, the two will play in Dublin, Ireland in a national televised game.

It's still unclear whether the Naval Academy will have to choose who it keeps on their schedule. Navy had been an independent before accepting the Big East's invitation this winter. Big East officials have not decided if its teams will play eight or nine conference games each season.

College football teams typically play 11 or 12 games. Navy is scheduled to play 12 next year. Even if the Big East played a nine-game slate, the Naval Academy could still schedule Army, Notre Dame and Air Force.