Veterans Day will bring a tripleheader of home-field football for the service academies — here’s a half-dozen things to know before kickoff:

1. Saturday’s slate. Duke, Southern Methodist and Wyoming drew the short scheduling straws this season ― they’ll all face the daunting task of a road game at a service academy on Veterans Day. The Blue Devils visit Army West Point at noon (CBS Sports Network), the Mustangs face Navy at 3:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) and the Cowboys draw the late shift in Colorado Springs against Air Force (10:15 p.m. Eastern, ESPNU).

The last two contests are conference showdowns. Army‘s 1-3 against Duke since 2000, though the strongest link between the schools’ athletic departments may be best illustrated in this awkward family photo:

2. Pass option(al). Army West Point’s 21-0 win over Air Force last weekend was its first over the Falcons since 2012, but the win all but took a back seat to the tactics: The Black Knights (7-2) didn’t register a pass attempt the entire game.

No Football Bowl Subdivision team has done that since 2009, per the official NCAA record book. That year, Navy’s offense had zero passes and 64 runs in a 13-10 win over Wake Forest.

While senior quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw hasn’t been called upon to find passing lanes or read zone coverage, he’s been the linchpin for the Black Knights’ ground game, racking up 265 yards on the ground against Air Force to set a single-game rushing record for QBs at West Point. He’s over the 1,000-yard mark just nine games into the season.

3. Muddling Mids. Navy quarterback Zach Abey entered last week already over the 1,000-yard rushing mark. He added 60 yards on 25 carries in Navy’s 34-26 loss at Temple on Friday night, but suffered a late-game injury to his left (nonthrowing) shoulder. Abey missed practice early in the week, but he’s listed first on the depth chart for the SMU game.

The loss was the Mids’ third in a row after a 5-3 start, and dropped them to 3-3 in American Athletic Conference play.

4. Pros in the house. The New England Patriots won’t head back to Boston after their Sunday game in Denver; instead, they’ll train at the Air Force Academy next week prior to a showdown against the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City.

The visit will be “low key,” Air Force Academy athletic director Jim Knowlton told The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. No itinerary has been published for the Nov. 12-15 visit, nor is it clear whether Air Force players or other cadets will get the chance to mingle with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick or New England long snapper Joe Cardona (Naval Academy Class of 2015).

5. Privacy, please. When USA Today released its annual college football coach salary rankings, Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo and his $2 million salary ranked 57th overall. But Army’s Jeff Monken and Air Force’s Troy Calhoun didn’t appear on the list, and the news outlet explained why in this long-form piece.

It’s worth a read, but the basics are these: Athletics operations at all three academies are carried out by nonprofit organizations that don’t fall under the same disclosure requirements as public schools, Defense Department entities (like the rest of the academies) or even private schools that must disclose some details in the form of IRS reports or as part of receiving federal aid.

Navy disclosed Niumatalolo’s base salary when asked by USA Today, but didn’t provide additional information such as bonus amounts or buyout clauses. The other schools stayed mum.

The article raised potential issues with a lack of public oversight of program spending. There’s also the issue of academies having big-time sports programs in the first place, which has been debated across multiple publications in the past and could come up more often if the financial doings of the nonprofits in charge of athletics aren’t forthcoming.

6. Secretaries Cup collision. Academy football isn’t limited to the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy trio, especially not this weekend: The Coast Guard will host the Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday at noon, with the winner walking away with the Secretaries Cup.

The rivalry contest will be the season-ending showdown for both teams for the first time since 2005, according to a Coast Guard release. It’ll also be available to ESPN subscribers via ESPN3. The home Bears are 3-6 on the year, while the visiting Mariners are 4-4.

Both clubs play in Division III. The cup was the Secretary’s Cup when both services were under the Transportation Department; it took its current name when the Coast Guard relocated to the Homeland Security Department.

Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.

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