No. 13 Notre Dame and Navy have the honor of playing in the Division I season-opening game for the 2023 college football season season. The two rivals, both of which are steeped in history and tradition, take the field Saturday afternoon in the third Aer Lingus College Football Classic, becoming the second-straight season with an FBS opener held in Ireland.
This will be the 94th meeting between Notre Dame and Navy, continuing an annual feud that extends all the way back to 1927. The Fighting Irish and Midshipmen have actually faced off in Ireland twice before, in 1996 and 2012, both of which resulted in Notre Dame victories.
Despite the rivalry's deep history, Notre Dame dominates the all-time series with a 79-13-1 record. The Irish have won five straight, and Navy only has four total wins since the turn of the century. Notre Dame even once held an NCAA-record 43-game win streak against Navy, a run that started in 1964 and did not end until a triple-overtime thriller in 2007.
Notre Dame is a heavy favorite to add to its win total fresh off a 9-4 season in the debut year of coach Marcus Freeman. Navy, meanwhile, is entering its first season under new coach Brian Newberry and is reeling after its third-straight losing campaign.
Check out LIVE updates from Notre Dame vs. Navy
Date: Saturday, August 26 | Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Location: Aviva Stadium -- Dublin, Ireland
TV: NBC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Sam Hartman makes his debut (again): Notre Dame has high hopes this season thanks in large part to the addition of Hartman, a Wake Forest transfer. While most quarterback transfers either follow their coaches to a new school or enter the portal because they were buried on the depth chart and want an opportunity to play, Hartman left a stable Wake Forest program after five seasons. His 110 career passing touchdowns are an ACC record, and his 12,967 passing yards rank second in the conference's history.
Navy breaks in a new coach: Following a 4-8 effort in 2022 -- Navy's third-straight losing season and fourth in five years -- the school made the controversial decision to fire Ken Niumatalolo, allegedly in Navy's locker room following its loss to Army, after 15 seasons. Navy then moved quickly in tabbing Newberry as Niumatalolo's in-house successor. Newberry joined Navy's staff in 2019 as defensive coordinator/safeties coach and was named a Broyles Award semifinalist that year. He held those same positions until his promotion last December.
Can Notre Dame avoid a scare? Freeman's first year was defined by close scrapes, and in a few instances, massive upsets. The Fighting Irish lost to Marshall in Week 2 despite being heavy favorites and beat Cal by just a touchdown in a similar situation a week later. Notre Dame lost to Stanford despite the spread being 16.5 points in Notre Dame's favor. Even a 3-6 Navy team gave Notre Dame a late-season scare, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter and coming just three points short of the upset. Given Saturday's spread, Notre Dame would do well to win by at least a couple of touchdowns.
All times Eastern | Odds via SportsLine consensus
Notre Dame vs. Navy prediction, picksWeek 0 is a weird time when weird things happen. This game being played overseas increases that weird factor tenfold. For example, Northwestern picked up its only win last year in Dublin, Ireland ... in Week 0 ... against a Nebraska team that was a 12.5-point favorite. I'm not predicting that Navy will take this one outright; in fact, Notre Dame will win by at least a couple scores. Still, given this game's circumstances and Notre Dame's general inability to dominate perceived weaker competition last season, a spread with a hook that sits at more than 20 points is a lot to cover. Prediction: Navy +20.5
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