No. 12 Notre Dame and No. 24 Navy are set to face off for the Rip Miller Trophy Saturday afternoon inside East Rutherford, New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. This will be the third year in a row one of college football's most historic rivalries is played at a neutral site.
Navy and Notre Dame played every year from 1927-2019, making it the longest uninterrupted non-conference series in college football, but that streak was broken in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Notre Dame, which holds an 80-13-1 all-time advantage in 96 meetings (not counting contests that were vacated), has largely dominated the rivalry. The Midshipmen have just one win against the Fighting Irish in the past 10 years and four since the turn of the century.
Navy did triumph 35-17 in 2010, the last time this game was held in East Rutherford. This is also just the third time in the last 67 seasons that the two are meeting as ranked teams. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 7-2-1 when both teams are in the AP Top 25.
Though this game may not count towards any sort of conference standings, it will have major implications on the College Football Playoff race, beyond the traditional bragging rights that come with beating top rival. Notre Dame is a -250 bet to make the CFP, according to DraftKings. Navy checks in at +1500 on the sports betting app.
Notre Dame vs. Navy: Need to know
Biggest game in a long time: There's a lot more than rivalry pride on the line when Notre Dame and Navy take the field Saturday. At 12-1, the Midshipmen and Fighting Irish bring their best combined record into a meeting since 1945, when both teams were 5-0. That ended in a 6-6 tie. Navy is seeking its first 7-0 start since 1978, while Notre Dame has the chance to win six consecutive games for the first time under Marcus Freeman. Navy also hasn't beaten multiple ranked teams in the same season since 1958.
Notre Dame is taking teams to task: Notre Dame has put its shocking loss to Northern Illinois firmly in the rearview mirror. The Fighting Irish have won each of their five games since then, tying the longest win streak of the Freeman era, and are doing so in largely dominant fashion. Notre Dame is allowing just 10.8 points per game in that span, which leads the FBS. The Irish also boast a points-per-game differential of 30.2 in their favor. They won their last two games by a combined score of 80-20 and three of their last four wins have come by at least 25 points.
Notre Dame's success is even more impressive when you consider the litany of crucial injuries the Irish have endured. They are down two starting offensive linemen (tackle Charles Jagusah and center Ashton Craig), two starting defensive linemen (Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore) and their best cornerback in Benjamin Morrison.
Navy's offense leading the way: Navy offensive coordinator Drew Cronic has led one of the nation's most impressive turnarounds, and it's a huge reason why the Midshipmen are churning toward their best season in recent memory. Navy is leading the American Athletic Conference with 44.8 points per game -- a 27.1-point increase over last season. As things stand, that's the largest year-to-year scoring increase by any FBS team this century. The Midshipmen have scored at least 34 points in every game, and their six straight games of 30-plus points are the most for the program since 2010.
Quarterback Blake Horvath has been a revelation. Naturally, he's getting work done on the ground, but he has also opened up Navy's aerial attack. He leads the FBS in pass efficiency (210.5) and yards per attempt (12.3, minimum of 50 attempts). He's also one of five FBS quarterbacks -- along with Notre Dame's Riley Leonard -- to score 10-plus rushing touchdowns this year. He's also the first player since Jalen Hurts in 2019 to to average more than 100 yards passing and rushing per game through six games.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Navy live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 26 | Time: Noon ET
Location: MetLife Stadium -- East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Notre Dame vs. Navy prediction, picks
Notre Dame has been dominant lately, so it makes a little sense that the line would be inflated. But Navy might just be Notre Dame's biggest non-Mid-American Conference test since Week 1's road game against Texas A&M. The Midshipmen are for real. The offense steals a lot of the headlines, but their defense has also held each of their last three opponents under 10 points. Despite all the injuries, things seem to be coming together for Notre Dame on both sides of the ball. The betting-favorite Irish are a smart pick to win, but this one's going to be a lot closer than Vegas seems to think. Pick: Navy +12.5
All sports betting odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. Check out the latest DraftKings promo code to get in the game.
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