Army-Navy’s in the snow, and that’s about as college football as it gets

There’s nothing in football more classic than Army vs. Navy, and nothing fits the rivalry’s Northeastern, mid-December, run-first, gritty vibes quite like a snow game. Well, Philadelphia’s got one this time.

The temperature’s expected to hover right around 32 all day, with flurries beginning early in the morning. One local forecast calls for “a steady, light snow” until 8 p.m. ET, five hours after Army-Navy kicks off.

And yeah, it’s kind of impossible to see Army in its all-white unis.

One hour before kickoff:

Three hours before kickoff:

And the scene outside a little bit earlier:

This game’s recent tradition of both sides wearing alternate uniforms now includes Army paying homage to World War II mountain troops. Those dudes were badasses:

These soldiers trained at 9,200 feet to learn to fight, and survive, in the most brutal mountain conditions. Bill Bowerman, who would eventually go on to co-found Nike, organized the supplies and maintained the mules for the 10th Mountain Division as a Major in the Army, serving at the time as the commander of the 86th Regiment’s First Battalion.

It started out light, but built to a nice white mess soon enough.

Both teams run the triple option, which means lots of pitches from one running player to another, something that can be pretty tricky with wet hands.