The Week 0 college football slate features a pair of top 25 teams, No. 13 Notre Dame and No. 6 USC. The good news is those storied rivals will play for the 81st time this season. The bad news is that game isn’t until October.
Instead, to kick off the season, the Fighting Irish and Trojans will take on Navy and San Jose State, respectively, teams they’re both expected to roll by at least three scores.
College football fans will have to wait until Week 1 for the first matchup of the 2023 campaign that features two top 25 teams (No. 5 LSU vs. No. 8 Florida State), but Week 0 still marks the return to the gridiron on campuses across the country — and across the pond in Dublin, Ireland.
USC quarterback and Heisman favorite Caleb Williams is in action and transfer quarterback Sam Hartman will don Notre Dame’s famous gold helmet for the first time. What more could you ask for? Football is back, folks.
Navy vs. No. 13 Notre Dame
Spread: Navy +20.5 (-110) | Notre Dame -20.5 (-110)
Moneyline: NAVY (+700) | ND (-1613)
Total: 48.5 – Over (-110) | Under (-110)
Game Info: Saturday, Aug. 26 | 2:30 p.m. ET | NBC
Location: Aviva Stadium | Dublin, Ireland
The last five meetings in this series have gone to the Fighting Irish, but the Midshipmen almost executed a remarkable comeback last fall. Notre Dame, which had just rocketed back into the Top 25 fresh off two consecutive wins against ranked opponents, got out to a 35-13 halftime lead against its annual opponent. Navy, a 16.5-point underdog, nearly turned the tide with a 19-0 second-half run to draw within a field goal with less than two minutes to go. Head coach Marcus Freeman’s team kneeled the clock out and hung on for a 35-32 victory. Upset avoided.
A lot has changed at both institutions in the offseason. In South Bend, quarterbacks Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner both transferred out, as did running back Logan Diggs. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees left to join Alabama’s staff and ND saw All-Americans at tight end (Michael Mayer) and defensive end (Isaiah Foskey) depart for the NFL. Hartman was the big addition. The Wake Forest transfer is a Heisman candidate heading into his sixth collegiate season. In Annapolis, former defensive coordinator Brian Newberry was promoted to head coach after longtime coach Ken Niumatalolo was fired following a 4–8 campaign.
Navy has struggled out of the gate in recent years with a 1–4 record in season openers since 2018. That includes a 14-7 home loss to FCS Delaware to kick off 2022. Notre Dame finished its first year under Freeman on a high note but suffered early upsets to Marshall and Stanford. That’s a fate the Fighting Irish will look to avoid in Ireland as heavy favorites.
The Midshipmen limited Notre Dame to 66 yards on the ground when these teams last met and only Georgia and James Madison had better rushing defenses last season. For that reason, look for the Fighting Irish to rely on the aerial attack, where they hold a clear advantage. Hartman led a top-10 passing offense nationally a year ago with the Demon Deacons. The Midshipmen finished 98th in passing yards allowed in 2022.
Take Notre Dame to cover in Ireland, where it has rolled Navy in its only other two appearances in 2012 (50-10) and 1996 (52-27). This game may be played thousands of miles away from Indiana, but it’s still a home crowd for the Irish.
BET: Notre Dame -20.5 (-110)
