The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a tough task ahead if they want to stay in contention for the College Football Playoff, but before their two marquee games against Pac-12 opponents, there comes a date on Saturday with the Navy Midshipmen's triple-option offense.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Navy: Game guide, TV schedule, streaming, odds
Can the Midshipmen break their recent skid against the Irish?
The Irish have had a week off since a crushing loss to Florida State and find themselves with ground to make up in the hunt for a marquee postseason spot. Their biggest win stands over a fast-falling Stanford team, but games against Arizona State, Northwestern, Louisville and USC should give them ample opportunity to prove themselves as national contenders.
Stopping Navy's triple option attack could be a concern for what has otherwise been an excellent Notre Dame defense. The Midshipmen hung with Ohio State early before losing, and are riding a two-game winning streak after victories over VMI and San Diego State. The most impressive win for Navy came earlier this season against the esurgent Temple Owls, but a three-game losing streak in the middle — Rutgers, Western Kentucky, Air Force — has put a damper on their season.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 8 p.m. ET.
TV: CBS
Online streaming: CBS Sports Live
The numbers
Rankings and records: Notre Dame is No. 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings, No. 6 in the AP Poll and No. 7 in the Coaches Poll. Navy is not ranked in any of the polls. The Irish are 6-1, and the Midshipmen are 4-4. Notre Dame holds a 74-12-1 lead in the all-time series and has won the last three games between the two schools.
Vegas: Notre Dame opened as a 13.5-point favorite. The line has since moved to 14.5. The over/under is 54.5, per Odds Shark.
Weather forecast: A high of 49 degrees and a low of 40 with a 70 percent chance of rain.
Two things at stake
Notre Dame has to win out in order to stay in Playoff contention.
With some tough opponents ahead, a win would greatly help Navy’s bowl chances.
One big matchup
Navy triple option vs. Notre Dame defense. The Midshipmen are averaging 352.3 yards per game on the ground, second in the nation behind Georgia Southern, and stayed competitive with Ohio State simply by running the ball over and over and over again. Notre Dame defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder hasn’t faced a triple-option offense in nearly a decade, when he was Georgia Southern’s head coach in 2006. Also of note: He changed Southern’s offense away from the triple option that year, so he isn’t too fond of the system.
Further reading
For more on Notre Dame, head over to One Foot Down. For coverage of Navy and the other service academies, check out Underdog Dynasty.
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