Notre Dame vs Navy Game Predictions
Notre Dame kicks off the 2023 season on Saturday when it squares off against the Navy Midshipmen. It's the 96th meeting between the two programs and the Irish currently hold an 81-13-1 advantage in the series history.
Location: Aviva Stadium (Dublin, Ireland)
Game Date: Saturday, August 26
Start Time: 2:30 PM ET
Network: NBC/Peacock
Current Line: Notre Dame -21.0, O/U 49.0
We broke down the game all week and now it is time for the Irish Breakdown staff to make predictions for this game.
BRYAN DRISKELL, PUBLISHER
Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Navy 13
I have been back and forth on this game all week. There are no questions in my mind about whether or not Notre Dame is going to win the game, but the margin has been the issue. Game ones can always be a challenge to predict for a number of reasons, and Navy coming into this game with questions at quarterback and new coordinators on both sides of the ball make them harder to predict.
At the end of the day I'm going a bit with what Notre Dame should do in this game, and that's dominate Navy. I have a great deal of respect for Navy and this rivalry, but it's a game Notre Dame should dominate most years. Having so much experience back on defense, including JD Bertrand (who missed last season's game with an injury), should allow the Irish to keep the Navy option in check. Stopping the fullback will be the key, and the Irish defensive line needs to thrive against an experienced Navy offensive line.
Offensively, Notre Dame needs a big day from quarterback Sam Hartman, and I expect him to have one. Notre Dame will have more balance in this game than they did a season ago, and after a little bit of a slow start I see the Irish offense rolling.
RYAN ROBERTS, RECRUITING DIRECTOR
Prediction: Notre Dame 42, Navy 10
It feels like a new era of Notre Dame football, even compared to the first year under Marcus Freeman. The offense has a new feel with Sam Hartman under center, who comes out in this one firing. The team’s identity is still as a physical running squad but the young pass catchers come to play in Dublin.
While this Navy team has a lot of experience coming back, this is a really talent starved roster. The final score won’t end up being nearly as close as it would appear. From start to finish, the talent rises to the top. The Irish also will have better adjustments after last year’s second half debacle.
VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST
Prediction: Notre Dame 49, Navy 14
We are finally here. It feels like we have been talking about this game forever and we finally made it! I could not be more excited about what the 2023 team COULD be this season. I have said repeatedly that I think this offense is going to put up some silly numbers. I have likened the scoreboard at ND Stadium to a pinball machine. The lights are going to be going off! Now is that going to be the case in week one all the way over in Dublin? That is the question. Do the new clock rules eliminate possessions, especially against Navy? What is the Navy offense going to look like? These are all legit questions.
Once the ball is kicked off on Saturday I think the offense takes off. I think whether it is on the ground or through the air, points are going to be scored. Hammer the over when it comes to points. It may take a beat for the ND defense to find their stride in this game is it usually does with Navy but JD Bertrand will be manning them middle this time around which is going to make a big difference. I am trying not to get too excited about what this game means or get too upset if all the expectations are not met in week one but I am very confident that the Irish show up and play well.
SEAN STIRES, STAFF WRITER
Prediction: Notre Dame 42, Navy 21
Yes, Navy dominated Notre Dame in the second half of last year’s narrow 35-32 victory over the Midshipmen. Yes, Navy has a new offensive coordinator who plans to bring more passing to Navy’s triple option than it has ever had.
But at the end of the day, Notre Dame has something in this game that no other team in the nation can claim this year – the most experienced quarterback in college football. Drew Pyne threw four touchdown passes (in the first half) in his eighth career start last season before his glass slipper fell off in the face of Navy’s blitzes and pressures in the second half. Navy can pressure Sam Hartman, but it just won’t have the same effect.
Look for Hartman to find his big receivers, which are always a mismatch for Navy’s secondary, to give the Irish a resounding season-opening victory.
ANDREW McDONOUGH, IB CONTRIBUTOR
Prediction: Notre Dame 45, Navy 20
The last time that Notre Dame took on Navy in Dublin, the Irish cruised to a 50-10 win en route to a berth in the national championship game. Let's hope an easy Notre Dame victory 11 years later leads to the same result. Like last year when Navy held Notre Dame scoreless in the second half and turned a blowout into a nail-biter, the Midshipmen defense will throw the kitchen sink at the Notre Dame offense.
The difference in this one will be experience at QB in Sam Hartman and an additional year of seasoning and blitz pickup drills for the anchors of the offensive line, Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. The Irish will score early and often behind Hartman, Audric Estime, and a young stable of talented wide receivers. In the end, the only ones sweating this one out will be everyone who laid the 20.5 points, as a couple late scores from Navy against Notre Dame reserves getting a chance to soak in the full Ireland experience makes this one look closer than it really was.
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