It’s not the greatest slate of games, and it certainly isn’t a full college football Saturday. However, football is back. Week 0 of the college football season gives us seven games.
The most marquee game on this weekend’s schedule is No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their annual rivalry game with Navy. The game will take place in Dublin, Ireland which should give the Fighting Irish quite the home-field advantage.
| WHO | Navy vs. No.13 Notre Dame |
| WHEN | Wednesday, August 26 at 2:30 p.m. EST |
| WHERE | Aviva Stadium -- Dublin, Ireland |
| HOW | NBC | Peacock |
Navy vs. No. 13 Notre Dame betting odds
Here are the latest odds for Saturday’s game courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. New users in the state of Michigan can receive $200 in bonus bets instantly after placing a $5 wager. Make sure to check out our reviews for the best sportsbooks to bet on college football in Michigan.
| Bets | Navy | Notre Dame |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | +900 | -1600 |
| Spread | +20.5 (-110) | -20.5 (-110) |
| Total | O 49 (-108) | U 49 (-112) |
Notre Dame looks for a better start, welcomes Sam Hartman
Last season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish underwent a transition. Long-time head coach Brian Kelly left the program for LSU and former defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman was installed as the head coach. Despite the changes, the Fighting Irish put forth a solid effort in their season opener but lost 21-10 against Ohio State on the road.
Things quickly took a turn for the worse. The Fighting Irish lost outright as three-touchdown home favorites against Marshall. Notre Dame then struggled with California before edging out victories against BYU and North Carolina. Just as things looked like they were on the upswing, Notre Dame lost another home game as three-score favorites, this time an ugly 16-14 loss to Stanford.
They finished the season by winning six of their final seven games, including an impressive win over Clemson and a bowl game victory over South Carolina. Their lone loss during that time was at USC, certainly an excusable loss. There’s hope that momentum carries over to the 2023 season.
Another source of hope is the new quarterback in South Bend. Former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman was arguably the biggest name to change schools in the college football transfer portal this year. Hartman threw for 7,929 yards and 77 touchdowns in his final two seasons with the Demon Deacons.
Hartman and new offensive coordinator Gerad Parker will go through growing pains together, as former play-caller Tommy Rees left for Alabama. The potential for an explosive passive attack is certainly there. Notre Dame has no issues producing offensive linemen and running backs, but the explosiveness in the passing game was certainly lacking last season. There’s reason to believe Hartman changes that.
A new era for Navy
Ken Niumatalolo became head coach of the Navy football team in 2007 and held that post until this past December. That’s an impressive 15-year reign that has certainly had a huge influence on the program. Implementing any changes will take some time for new head coach Brian Newberry, who was the team’s defensive coordinator.
Grant Chestnut was bought in as the offensive coordinator from Kennesaw State. He will be tasked with modernizing Navy’s triple-option offense and adding some wrinkles to the limited passing game. Navy will certainly stay running the ball the majority of the time, but don’t be surprised to see a few more drop-backs than the number we are accustomed to.
On the defensive side, Navy stops the run. Last season, they allowed the third-fewest rush yards per game. Unfortunately, their pass defense is another story. They ranked 124th of 131 FBS programs in passing efficiency allowed. Of course, Navy’s best form of defense is playing keep-away by running the ball.
Best bet for Navy vs. Notre Dame
The first college football game of the season provides us with an intriguing game to handicap. When you have a service academy that runs the triple option in a massive underdog role, your first inclination is to look towards taking the points and the under. Their game plan is predictable. Navy will try to limit Notre Dame’s offensive possessions by burning clock and slowly moving the chains on the ground. When that style works, it certainly lends itself to lower-scoring, closer games.
On the other hand, it’s a physical, gruesome form of football and if it’s your first game action in 9 months, it might be tough to adjust.
These teams play every year, so there is some level of familiarity even if coaches, coordinators and quarterbacks have changed. Overall, since 2010, this game has seen an average of over 62 points scored. The teams have gone over 49 points in ten of those twelve games.
However, in the last three years, Navy has scored a total of 17 points in their opening game and haven’t scored more than seven points in a single one of those games. Will Notre Dame’s defense continue the trend and shut the Midshipmen down?
Originally my lean in this game was towards the game to go over 49 points. However, as kickoff approaches, I’ve found a more specific way to attack this game.
I think Sam Hartman is one of the better quarterbacks in college football and think he will make a massive impact on the Notre Dame offense. Navy struggles in the secondary, so I don’t think Hartman will have any issues tearing them up.
Best bet:
Notre Dame: Team points over 34.5 (-110, DraftKings)
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