Air Force center Nick Noyen had strategic plans for his election night — studying.

With the NCAA mandated day off Tuesday because of the general election, Falcons football players made use of extra time to knock off work in their classes to help take ease the end of the week that will culminate with a trip to Army on Saturday with a shot to capture the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy.

“For me, just working ahead on school so I don’t have to worry about academics and focus on beating Army this week,” Noyen said.

The day off resulted from a heated summer of political activism, with the intention of making sure athletes had the opportunity to vote.

Several coaches have complained about the new rule, with Clemson’s Dabo Swinney saying he “didn’t understand” the NCAA’s decision, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly calling it a “less than ideal situation” and Florida’s Dan Mullen labeling it as “disappointing.”

For Air Force, the day off meant practicing Sunday to begin preparation for the Black Knights. Coach Troy Calhoun said forethought was placed into Army preparation during the long gap between games on Oct. 3 and Oct. 24, and some of the team prep work was done in that time.

“We’ve had to adjust,” Calhoun said, adding, “we saw this coming down the road.”

With so many out-of-state players on Air Force’s roster, there was no opportunity or need to visit the polls Election Day.

So, the consequences of this day for the Falcons football team instead turned to whatever benefits could be taken from a break in the midweek routine of game preparation.

“I don’t really think it helps or hurts us,” junior safety Corvan Taylor said. “Obviously it’s beneficial to get a day off during the week and get our legs back under us and hit hard tomorrow. Then get on a plane and heading over to West Point.”

That’s another schedule change. The Falcons will go to New York on Thursday, a day earlier than most road trips, to adjust to Eastern Standard Time prior to Saturday’s 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time kickoff.

But as for the NCAA’s new rule, the Falcons had no issues with it.

“I think it’s neat to bring awareness and give athletes the opportunity to vote,” Noyen said. “It’s definitely different and I think there’s only benefits from it so we can all participate in our civic duty of voting.”

There is a little extra incentive for Air Force players to track this election. With a victory Saturday, the senior class would be in line for a White House visit this spring to meet whomever occupies it.