What is the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy? What to know of Army-Navy-Air Force rivalry

College football is filled with rivalry games, and with that comes the distribution of bragging rights and trophies.

It's what makes college football, well, college football. And one of the best in the sport is the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.

The quest for the 2024 Commander-in-Chief's Trophy begins on Saturday in Week 6 of the college football season, when Navy (4-0, 3-0 in AAC play) travels to Colorado to take on Air Force (1-3, 0-2 Mountain West) at noon ET.

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Saturday's contest at Falcon Stadium is the first leg of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy race for both squads, as both teams will need to play Army later this season.

Here's more on Commander-in-Chief's Trophy:

What is the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy?

The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is the annual trophy presented to the winner of each college football season's series among the three military academies: Army, Navy and Air Force.

The trophy, set on a circular base, stands 2 1/2 feet high and weighs over 170 pounds. It's adorned on top with three silver footballs, with arc-shaped cutouts for each of the academies, respectively. Each cutout not only features the years the trophy was won by that team, but also features figurines of the animal mascots of the respective schools: a falcon for Air Force, a ram for Navy and a mule for Army.

The trophy is named after the President of the United States, whose nickname is the Commander in Chief. It was first awarded in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, and was spearheaded by Gen. George B. Simler, who served as the Air Force's athletic director from 1957-60.

The trophy was originally conceived as a means to create an annual series for Air Force between Army and Navy, as prior to 1972 the Falcons played Navy in even-numbered years and Army in odd-number years. The Air Force Academy, founded in 1954, didn't play the Black Knights until 1959 and Midshipmen until 1960. Prior to the start of the round robin series in 1972, the Falcons played Army six times and Navy four times.

Who has the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy?

The trophy currently sits with Army in West Point, New York after the Black Knights went 2-0 against the other service academies in 2023, beating Air Force 23-3 and Navy 17-11.

As noted by Navy's game notes for this week, the winner of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy visits the White House in the spring. However, if all teams finish 1-1 against each other, the trophy stays at the military academy currently in possession of the trophy, and no one visits the White House.

That means that, had Navy had won the Army-Navy Game in 2023, the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy would have stayed with Air Force by virtue of all teams finishing 1-1 against the other (and the fact the Falcons were winners in 2022).

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy winners

Air Force has been awarded the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy the most of the three military service academies, with 21. Navy is second in the series, claiming the trophy 16 times. Army has 10.

Here's a look at the winner of every Commander-in-Chief's Trophy since it was first awarded in 1972.

• Army: 10 (1972, 1977, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1996, 2017-18, 2020, 1923)

• Navy: 16 (1973, 1975, 1978-79, 1981, 2003-09, 2012-13, 2015, 2019)

• Air Force: 21 (1982-83, 1985, 1987, 1989-92, 1994-95, 1997-2002, 2010-11, 2014, 2016, 2022)

Here are the years in which no one won the trophy (along with the team who retained possession of the trophy):

• 1974: Retained by Navy

• 1976: Retained by Navy

• 1980: Retained by Navy

• 1993: Retained by Air Force

• 2021: Retained by Navy

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy games 2024

Saturday's contest between Navy and Air Force is the first of three games played between the service academies for the 2024 college football season. Here is the full schedule for 2024:

• Saturday, Oct. 5: Navy 34, Air Force 7

• Saturday, Nov. 2: Army 20, Air Force 3

• Saturday, Dec. 14: Army-Navy Game | 3 p.m. ET | CBS

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, explained: Series record, history, more