Notre Dame vs. Army: Always Irish Game Preview and Prediction

Breaking down the Notre Dame vs. Army matchup with insights, keys to victory, and Always Irish's bold prediction for the game.

Nov 16, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Mitchell Evans (88) and quarterback Riley Leonard (13) celebrate after a touchdown in the second quarter against the Virginia Cavaliers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Both Notre Dame & Army are having strong seasons

If ever there was a good year to have these two historical foes match up in New York City, it'd be this one.

Army enters the matchup with a perfect 9-0 record and Notre Dame with a 9-1 record and current eight-game winning streak. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 39-8-4 and would love nothing more than to notch the Irish win total up to 40.

Notre Dame vs Army is not typically a must-see matchup for anyone outside of the two loyal fanbases themselves, but this year is very different.

Army is having a season for the ages with an undefeated record while Notre Dame is currently slotted for one of the coveted round one hosting CFP spots.

Everyone with CFP interest will be keeping an eye on the Irish, of which a large percentage will be hoping to see them falter to free up a coveted spot in the 12-team field.

Stats can be deceiving

On the surface, Notre Dame and Army have many similar stats that are very impressive. Most notable to me? Army and Notre Dame sit at the number two and three spots nationally in terms of defensive points allowed, with Army averaging just over 10 PPG and Notre Dame 11 PPG.

Offensively, both teams have top 15 running games entering this contest.

While I certainly respect and appreciate Army's on-field accomplishments and purpose beyond the field, these similar statistics and records are a bit misleading.

While it's true that Notre Dame's schedule has not turned out to be one of the toughest in the country this year, it's significantly stronger than Army's slate which includes teams like Lehigh, Rice, UAB, and North Texas.

Notre Dame will be by far the deepest, fastest, and most athletic roster Army will face this season. This alone should be the difference in the ballgame. And I believe it will be, so long as the Irish play a crispy, fundamentally sound ballgame.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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