Army, Navy, Air Force

Like other guys have said, it has a lot to do with the quality of coaches who have been there over the past couple decades.

AF has had Calhoun for 10 years now and he has been consistent the whole time - he is also an alum, so that helps tremendously as well (think recruiting). Before Calhoun took over Fisher DeBerry was the head coach there for nearly 20 years and he was also relatively consistent, at least until the end of his career. That gives AF a noticeable edge over Army and Navy in my mind, at least in terms of modern prestige.

Meanwhile Navy started to emerge when Paul Johnson took over as HC in 2002. From there Johnson went to GTech while Niumatalolo (former RB/OC) took over at Navy. A nearly seamless transition. Navy wasnt always good. Had a good season in the late 90s and a couple in the early 80s. Beyond that it's been tough sleeding. The real reason for their modern success is Paul Johnson, IMO.

Army appears to be on the rise with Jeff Monken as the head coach. Monken, coincidentally, also worked under Paul Johnson at Navy and G. Tech. Before Monken, it was a bit of a revolving door at Army, at least since Bob Sutton (Chiefs current DC) left in 99.

/r/CFB Thread