College football picks Week 0: Notre Dame vs. Navy prediction, odds, spread, game preview, more
The No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Navy Midshipmen to kick off the 2023 college football season at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The game will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC on Saturday, August 26.
The Irish enter their second year under head coach Marcus Freeman, who started things off shakily in 2022 before turning the season around and ending on a high note. The Irish grabbed former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman in the transfer portal to lead their offense, and have a potential 2024 first rounder in OT Joe Alt.
Navy parted ways with former head coach Ken Niumatalolo after 15 years at the end of last season. The Midshipmen struggled in 2022, going 4-8. They bring back a veteran secondary and will start either Blake Horvath or Tai Lavatai at QB in Ireland. Last year, the Irish eked one out over Navy, winning 35-32.
Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!
SP+ Rankings
Navy: 102 overall, 116 offense, 82 defense
Notre Dame: 11 overall, 26 offense, 13 defense
Injury update
Navy
WR Nathan Kent - Out (knee)
Notre Dame
C Zeke Correll - Questionable (ankle)
TE Kevin Bauman - Out for season (ACL)
ATS/Total
Against The Spread in 2022
Navy: 7-5 ATS
ND: 7-6 ATS
Total in 2022
Navy: Over 7-5
ND: Over 8-5
Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Notre Dame -20.5
Total: 49
Moneyline: Notre Dame -1450, Navy +850
Weather
The Pick
Navy +20.5
Three touchdowns is a big spread for a team that started the 2022 season off with two straight losses. While I don’t want to peg Freeman’s teams as slow starters after just a single year, I’m hesitant to bet on a blowout as the Irish try to figure things out on the field with a new quarterback and a new offensive coordinator (former tight ends coach Gerad Parker took over after the departure of Tommy Rees).
The Irish defense looked solid last year — particularly cornerback Benjamin Morrison — but I’m hedging on this one. Even during Navy’s disastrous season last year, they kept it close with the Irish.
