The 2023 college football season kicks off on Saturday as the Navy Midshipmen and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lock horns at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Navy vs. Notre Dame odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Midshipmen kick off a new era of football, as Brian Newberry coaches his 1st game at the Naval Academy, taking over for the departed Ken Niumatalolo. Offensive coordinator Grant Chesnut is also new, and it appears Navy will spice things up a bit on offense. The Middies will still use a ground-based attack, but there should be a little more of the aerials, which would make the Blue Angels proud.
The Fighting Irish turn to QB Sam Hartman to get Notre Dame back into the national championship picture. Coach Marcus Freeman nabbed the signal caller via the transfer portal after liking what he saw from the QB at Wake Forest.
The Irish eked out a 35-32 win over the Middies in Baltimore last season, winning for the 5th straight season in the series. Navy’s last win in the series came in Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov. 5, 2016, a 28-27 thriller.