Navy vs Notre Dame Prediction - College Football Picks 8/26/23

The Navy Midshipmen and Notre Dame Fighting Irish face off on Saturday in a Week 0 College Football showdown at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. 

Sam Hartman Starts Under Center

Notre Dame went big game hunting in the transfer portal this offseason and they sure received quite the prize. Sam Hartman was one of the best quarterbacks in college football last season, and this offseason he joined the Fighting Irish. Last season he threw for 3,701 yards, 38 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Last season the big issue was success through the passing game, and that is something that should be a lot better here. Last season the Fighting Irish got out to a slow start, and that is something that is going to need to be better here. If the Fighting Irish were to lose this game, there would be a lot of grumblings about if Marcus Freeman is actually the answer in charge. 

New Coach for Navy

The Navy sidelines are going to be a whole lot different this year. Ken Niumatalolo took over Navy in 2007, and he was let go after last season. Personally, I believe that is a big mistake for Navy, but only time will tell if they made the right decision. Brian Newberry was the defensive coordinator for last years team, and he has been promoted to head coach. Navy is still expected to run the triple option, but the offense is expected to be modernized a bit. This is still going to be a run first team, but there is some expectation that this team is going to throw the ball a bit more. On defense, the strength of this team is expected to be stopping the run, but in this game it’s going to be important that they find a way to slowdown the pass.