Week 0 best bets: Navy vs. Notre Dame odds, picks and promos
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College football is back and the headlining the opening act in Week 0 is the Navy Midshipmen vs. the No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame is a 20.5-point favorite over Navy in Dublin, Ireland, to open up the 2023 college football season in Week 0 on Aug. 26.
Navy vs. Notre Dame odds, preview and prediction: Navy +20.5 (-110 or better)
No. 13 Notre Dame is one of the top-ranked teams in the country and has high expectations this season. They are near-three-touchdown favorites over their opponent in the service academy as the two do battle in Dublin, Ireland.
Any team that is asked to cover a 20.5-point spread has to have a lot go their way — Notre Dame is clearly the superior team, but they only beat Navy by 3 points late last season.
The reverse fixture was ultra-competitive. Navy ran for 255 yards and two touchdowns while holding Notre Dame to 66 yards of their own. They could not slow down quarterback Drew Pyne (17/21, 269 yards, four touchdowns and one interception) but easily covered the 16.5-point spread.
Notre Dame made a high-profile upgrade at quarterback with the addition of ex-Wake Forest gunslinger Sam Hartman, who was an outside Heisman Trophy candidate. Hartman is a capable passer and runner and has been at the center of praise throughout the offseason.
The reason we like Navy here, however, is largely because this game will take place at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Their pragmatic, ground-based approach is more likely to translate to unfamiliar circumstances and will come with fewer kinks than a system led by a new QB.
Both teams had positive records against the spread in 2022, but Navy was slightly better at 7-5 to ND’s 7-6. We think they’ll keep the final score respectably close as both teams get their early-season jitters out of the way.
Navy vs. Notre Dame props: Over 26.5 first-half points (-106 or better)
Both teams are going to have their best plays schemed up for their first couple of drives, and the players will have spent countless hours over the offseason preparing for those exact plays. There will also be miscommunications and adjustments on the fly as both teams get back into the swing of real-speed action.
While defenses usually start ahead of offenses in many respects, the talent of the ND offense and the relentless run game of Navy should create holes and lead to points. We’re looking at a game that starts hot and potentially cools off in the second half.
If the expected weather doesn't get in the way, this one should fly over in the opening 30 minutes.
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Grant Mitchell is a sports and sports betting journalist for Catena Media. A member of Virginia Tech's 2021 graduating class and former NCAA Track & Field athlete, he specializes in basketball, football and soccer coverage.
