Falcons close the year nationally ranked for first time since 1998
1/14/2020 11:06:00 AM | Football
Air Force ranked 22nd/23rd in final polls; enter 2020 with nation’s second-longest win streak
Air Force is ranked in the final national polls for the first time since 1998, as the Falcons finished 22nd in the Associated Press poll with 209 points and 23rd in the USA Today Coaches poll with 265 points. Air Force was nationally ranked for the first time since 2010 season, appearing in the national polls for the first time Nov. 31 at No. 25 in both polls. The team moved to No. 24 in both entering the bowl season.
Air Force capped a historic season with a 31-21 win over Washington State in the Cheez-It Bowl Dec. 27 in Phoenix, Ariz. The win gave Air Force an 11-2 overall record. Air Force's 11 wins is the third most in program history, trailing the 12 wins in 1985 and 1998. Air Force closed with an eight-game winning streak which is the third longest in school history and second longest in the nation, trailing only national champion LSU's 16-game streak.
Air Force finished second in the Mountain West Mountain Division with a 7-1 record. The 7-1 slate matched the school record in conference play, marking the first time the program has accomplished it in the Mountain West. The Falcons finished 7-1 in the Western Athletic Conference in 1985 and 1998.
Air Force was the nation's third most-improved team with a six-game turnaround from last season. Only Navy (eight) and Central Michigan (seven) had better improvement.
2019 SEASON NOTES
• Air Force was bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016 and the 10th time in 13 seasons under head coach Troy Calhoun
• Air Force's 11-2 overall record is the fourth-best among Group of Five teams. The Falcons trailed only Appalachian State (13), Memphis (12) and Boise State (12) in total wins.
• Air Force posted its first 10-win regular season under head coach Troy Calhoun and first since the 1998 team went 11-1 prior to bowl season.
• State champions: Air Force has defeated Colorado and Colorado State in the same season for the first time since 1968. This season marked the first time since 1972 the Falcons have played both in the same year.
• Air Force defeated both Power Five teams it played in 2019. Air Force defeated Colorado, 30-23, in overtime in Boulder Sept. 14. The Falcons beat Washington State, 31-21, in the 2019 Cheez-It Bowl in Arizona Dec. 27. This season marks the first since 2002 that Air Force has won multiple games against teams from Power 5 conferences. Air Force defeated Northwestern, 52-3, in Falcon Stadium and won at No. 23 California, 23-21, in 2002.
Air Force capped a historic season with a 31-21 win over Washington State in the Cheez-It Bowl Dec. 27 in Phoenix, Ariz. The win gave Air Force an 11-2 overall record. Air Force's 11 wins is the third most in program history, trailing the 12 wins in 1985 and 1998. Air Force closed with an eight-game winning streak which is the third longest in school history and second longest in the nation, trailing only national champion LSU's 16-game streak.
Air Force finished second in the Mountain West Mountain Division with a 7-1 record. The 7-1 slate matched the school record in conference play, marking the first time the program has accomplished it in the Mountain West. The Falcons finished 7-1 in the Western Athletic Conference in 1985 and 1998.
Air Force was the nation's third most-improved team with a six-game turnaround from last season. Only Navy (eight) and Central Michigan (seven) had better improvement.
2019 SEASON NOTES
• Air Force was bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016 and the 10th time in 13 seasons under head coach Troy Calhoun
• Air Force's 11-2 overall record is the fourth-best among Group of Five teams. The Falcons trailed only Appalachian State (13), Memphis (12) and Boise State (12) in total wins.
• Air Force posted its first 10-win regular season under head coach Troy Calhoun and first since the 1998 team went 11-1 prior to bowl season.
• State champions: Air Force has defeated Colorado and Colorado State in the same season for the first time since 1968. This season marked the first time since 1972 the Falcons have played both in the same year.
• Air Force defeated both Power Five teams it played in 2019. Air Force defeated Colorado, 30-23, in overtime in Boulder Sept. 14. The Falcons beat Washington State, 31-21, in the 2019 Cheez-It Bowl in Arizona Dec. 27. This season marks the first since 2002 that Air Force has won multiple games against teams from Power 5 conferences. Air Force defeated Northwestern, 52-3, in Falcon Stadium and won at No. 23 California, 23-21, in 2002.
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