Notre Dame vs. Navy Best Bet: Can Sam Hartman, Notre Dame Run Up Score In Week 0?
There’s no better way to start off the CFB season than Navy playing Notre Dame in Ireland. Can Sam Hartman and Notre Dame run up the score in Week 0? Krabs answers.
Krabs - August 25, 2023, 4:31 PM EDT
5 minNotre Dame vs. Navy Best Bet: Can Sam Hartman, Notre Dame Run Up Score In Week 0?
There’s no better way to start off the CFB season than Navy playing Notre Dame in Ireland. Two teams filled with tradition will face off on the brightest of stages. The Irish should have a “home-field advantage,” granted their mascot is literally the Fighting Irish, but Navy tends to keep these matchups closer than they look on paper…
Notre Dame vs. Navy Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: August 26, 2023
- Game Time: 2:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBC
Notre Dame vs. Navy Prediction
Navy just fired their long-tenured head coach in the offseason, and with the new OC Grant Chestnut changing the traditional triple-option offense this year, nobody really knows what to expect out of this offense. At the end of the day, this will still be a rush-heavy offense. The Midshipmen’s new head coach was previously their defensive coordinator, and he’s the one who crafted the vision for this “new look” offense. As a Navy fan myself, I can tell you right now that this offense won’t look insanely different from what we saw last season.
One of the main differences we will see from Navy is their QB situation. Yes, Tai Lavatai has recovered from injury and will likely get the starting nod, but they are rumored to be running a QB-by-committee with Xavier Arline and new addition Blake Horvath. Arline is the speedster of the group, and Horvath is entering his second season, hungry for his college football debut.
This Notre Dame defensive line is elite and should cause tons of problems for Navy’s rush-heavy attack. I do think we’ll see some trickery from Navy in this one and more passing than usual, but at the end of the day, this Notre Dame defensive line should feast on the Midshipmen.
Luckily for Navy, the Irish are rolling out a new offensive coordinator as well this week. I predict that both offenses take some time to get into the rhythm of their “new” systems, although I’m expecting minimal changes. Both of these teams love to chew the clock as well, which leads me to my play in this game: the under.
I don’t think Navy is going to light up the scoreboard on Saturday, but the Irish offense may not be as sharp as everyone expects, either. Auric Estime, they’re starting running back, has been praised all off-season as one of the best at his position. Expect the Irish to lean on him heavily.
The issue with Notre Dame feeding Estime lies in Navy’s biggest strength, their defensive line. Not only does this defense know Notre Dame almost as well as themselves, considering this is one of the most historic rivalries in all of sports, but the strength of this team is their defensive line. If the Irish want to blow Navy out of this game, it’s going to have to be Sam Hartman in his debut for the Irish. I’m willing to bet he comes out a little shakier than the public expects.
With weather in the forecast for Saturday’s CFB opener, bet the under between two of college football’s most historic programs. The field conditions will be poor, and both defensive lines have prime matchups. It doesn’t hurt that the public will be chomping at the bit to bet the over in the first college football game of the season, either. With the total moving down from 50.5 to 49, lock in this under before it’s too late.
Notre Dame vs. Navy Best Bet
Navy/Notre Dame u49 -110 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
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