With the Patriots’ Week 14 game out of the way, head coach Bill Belichick can direct his full attention to another meaningful matchup scheduled in his backyard this weekend.

The annual Army-Navy game will take place at Gillette Stadium on Saturday at 3 p.m. Belichick will be involved in the festivities as the guest picker on ESPN’s “College GameDay.”

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And it’s the first time in years that Belichick can attend the rivalry game without worrying about planning for his own contest later in the weekend.

“Well, it’s nice. I won’t lie. It’s nice. It’s nice that the schedule fell the way it did,” Belichick said. “I would say most years it doesn’t fall that way. But, the fact that it did and coincided with the game being in Foxboro is nice. I haven’t been able to attend an Army-Navy game like this since I was in college.

“Even the ones that I’ve seen, we’ve had a game the next day in Giants Stadium or the Washington game back in 2009. So, there have been a handful of games that I’ve seen. But it all is with having to go to a meeting or something like that. So this is really a nice luxury for me. It’s been a long time since I’ve had an opportunity to do this. I’m very much looking forward to it. I think it will be a great classic event for this region. There’s really nothing like Army-Navy. I’ve been in a lot of big games. I’ve seen a lot of big games. Both collegiately and professionally. But, Army-Navy is special.”

Belichick called this a “full circle” opportunity and said he’s hopeful for a Navy win. The Patriots head coach grew up in Annapolis, Mary., with his father, Steve Belichick, serving as a long-time scout and coach at the Naval Academy.

The Patriots have had a number of players throughout Belichick’s 23-year tenure from Navy. Current long-time long snapper Joe Cardona played at Navy and is an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserves.

“Not to get overly dramatic, but when you go to one of the military academies, you voluntarily agree and sign up to defend our country at all costs, including your life,” Belichick said. “That’s a voluntary decision and a very important one. So, ultimately, these are the men and women that are going to lead our country in the coming years and decades.

“So, the March On for the Corps of Cadets and the Midshipmen is a pretty impressive thing. You look down and you see 4,000 men and women who are training to be our country’s leaders and our country’s defenders in the future. It’s a pretty impressive moment to recognize all those kids as they’re going through the process, and who they’re going to be and what’s going to come out of there. And the training that they’re going through, it makes you very proud to see that. The March On starts about three hours before the game. So, I would recommend that for sure.”