Let's take a closer look at the '09 schedule and break down every opponent.
at Eastern Michigan, Sept. 5
A very winnable season-opener for the Black Knights. Eastern Michigan went 4-8 last season and 16-42 over the last five seasons.
A 1-0 start to the season can happen for the Black Knights
Running record: 1-0
Duke, Sept. 12
Smart scheduling. Another team ripe for the picking. Duke is the bottom feeder of the ACC and went 1-11 last season. The Blue Devils are rebuilding under new coach David Cutcliffe, who could eventually get the program off the ground. Cutcliffe has served as mentor to Peyton and Eli Manning.
Record: 2-0
Ball State, Sept. 19
Maybe incoming Army freshman quarterback Paul McIntosh lights up the the school he almost went to.
Keep in mind, Ball State has a dynamic quarterback in junior Nate Davis, who threw for 3,667 yards and 30 TD's last year. We like Davis in this one on a late game-winning drive.
Record: 2-1
Sept. 26 at Iowa State
Let's hope this is payback for Iowa State's 28-21 come-from-behind win over Army at Michie Stadium back in 2005.
Did Army look good that night or what? Next time around, we will pick an Iowa State win.
Running record: 2-2
Oct. 3 Tulane
Tulane coach Bob Toledo had success had UCLA, but reviving the Green Wave will prove much more difficult.
Tulane went 4-8 last year and loses star running back Matt Forte, an Army killer, to graduation. Forte was selected in the second round of last year's NFL draft by Chicago. No Forte, no problem, let's hope.
Running record: 3-2
Oct. 10 Vanderbilt
This is a tough SEC school, which gave ranked teams Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina tough games.
No doubt, Army can play with Vandy, but we still like the Commodores.
Running record: 3-3
Oct. 17 Temple
UCLA targeted Temple coach Al Golden as a head coaching candidate this offseason. That says a lot about Golden.
He might be the guy, the only guy, to turn Temple around. Slowly, he is getting more talent into the program. We like Temple by a TD in this one.
Running record: 3-4
Oct. 24 Rutgers
Greg Schiano should have taken the Michigan job. We think he's reached his ceiling as far as where he can bring Rutgers.
Still, the Rutgers are darn good, going 26-12 over the last two years. Add another win over Army.
Running record: 3-5
Nov. 7 at Air Force
With a young team, Air Force could have a rough year in '08. But expect the Falcons to rebound in '09 under head coach Troy Calhoun, a great hire. Air Force in a close one.
Running record: 3-6
Nov. 14 VMI
Don't give up hope on the season yet. Army scores a convincing win over Division I-AA VMI.
Running record: 4-6
Nov. 21 at North Texas
The bowl bid is kept alive. North Texas went 2-10 last year, giving up 79 points to Oklahoma, 66 to Arkansas and 74 to Navy. The Mean Green wasn't so mean, allowing about 45 points per game.
Finally we have found the team Army's offense has been looking for.
Running record: 5-6
Dec. 5 Navy (at Philadelphia)
Does it get any better than this? Army needs a win over its rival to become bowl eligible. Better yet, the Black Knights pull off the win. Let's go bowling. Army is 6-6.