College football games featuring the U.S. service academies are set to occur this weekend despite the current federal government shutdown, as confirmed by officials to The Athletic on Wednesday. The Air Force team will face off against Navy on Saturday in Annapolis, Maryland, with kickoff at noon ET, airing on CBS and streaming through Paramount+ Premium. Meanwhile, Army will play against UAB on Saturday at noon ET.

The reason behind the continuation of service academy games amid the shutdown relates to their use of non-profit funding for athletics, protecting them from interruptions in federal budgets. Navy’s athletic programs have historically operated independently of government funds, while Army switched to a similar structure in 2017.

Recently, Air Force established the Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation (AFAAC) to manage its athletic operations, covering travel, game-day logistics, and expenses, thus ensuring competitions proceed as planned, according to an Air Force athletics spokesperson’s statement shared with The Athletic. However, fans should be aware that website updates from the teams might be slower, and live video streams of home games will not be available.

In previous shutdowns, the Falcons have experienced interruptions. In January 2018, some Air Force athletic events were canceled briefly, while a shutdown in October 2013 almost thwarted a football trip to Navy, which only proceeded thanks to last-minute assistance.

Air Force aims to avoid back-to-back defeats to Navy for the first time since 2012 and 2013. The Falcons (1-3) have struggled this season, having lost all games against FBS opponents thus far. In contrast, the Midshipmen (4-0) have started strong, led by quarterback Blake Horvath and running back Alex Tecza, boasting the nation’s top rushing attack.

Conversely, Army has also met difficulties this season aside from its singular upset victory against Kansas State in Week 2. The Black Knights (1-3) seek to snap a two-game losing streak and secure consecutive wins over UAB.