The No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1) take on the Navy Midshipmen this weekend in the 99th matchup between these long time rivals. Notre Dame has waited an extra week to rebound from its loss to BYU, which ended the program's 16-game win streak. Notre Dame will look to start a new streak against the Midshipmen.

Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Date: Saturday - October 31
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Network: ABC
Line: Notre Dame -30.5; O/U - 56.5

The Irish Breakdown staff has made our predictions for this matchup.

Prediction: Notre Dame 59, Navy 17

Notre Dame should be able to get back on track offensively against a Navy defense that ranks 108th in the country in scoring defense, 102nd in yards allowed per play, 122nd in third-down defense and 76th in total defense. Notre Dame sputtered offensively against BYU, and the pass offense has been inconsistent for much of the season. Navy ranks 123rd in pass defense, 136th in yards allowed per completion and attempt, 138th in passer rating and 137th in most passing yards of 30-plus yards allowed. It would be smart for the staff to use this matchup as an opportunity to finally get CJ Carr and the pass game rolling.

On defense, Navy presents some unique challenges, especially with Braxton Woodson starting to get action on the field along with quarterback Jackson Gutierrez. Notre Dame well against the Midshipmen offense last season, but this defensive staff has far less experience against then option than last year's group. Even if the Middies get off to a fast start, expect the defense to make adjustments and eventually shut Navy down. 

Notre Dame has dominated Navy in recent seasons, and with the Midshipmen struggling this season it's easy to predict yet another beat down.

Prediction: Notre Dame 52, Navy 7

In their last three outings, Notre Dame has dominated Navy 42-3, 51-14 and 49-10 and I expect that to be more of the same this weekend. The Midshipmen aren't the same team as they were in 2024 and 2025 due to some key personnel losses and the Irish are coming off their first loss in 16 games. This game, to me, comes down to the 'how' not the 'if'. Notre Dame is going to put up points and I would be beyond shocked if they don't put in work against the Midshipmen defense. But Mike Denbrock needs to open up the offense and get CJ Carr going against one of the worst pass defenses in the FBS. I have Notre Dame winning big, but I'm far more interested in how they get to 52 points, not if. 

Prediction: Notre Dame 49, Navy 10

Notre Dame faces one of the more unique challenges in college football when it takes on Navy and its demanding triple-option offense. The Midshipmen are capable of controlling the clock, shortening the game and keeping opposing offenses on the sideline, but the Irish have too much talent on both sides of the football. Notre Dame's defensive discipline will be critical, particularly with its linebackers and defensive linemen maintaining their assignments and avoiding costly mistakes.

Offensively, I expect CJ Carr and the Irish to take advantage of their opportunities through the air while establishing enough of a running game to keep Navy's defense off balance. Navy will have some success moving the football, but Notre Dame's depth and explosive-play ability will loom large from the opening kick off.

Prediction: Notre Dame 47, Navy 9

Since a narrow 35-32 win in Marcus Freeman's first season, Notre Dame has dominated the Midshipmen, winning the last 3 by an average score of 47-9. That's what I'm going to go with here, as Notre Dame gets back on track against a Navy team that just doesn't have the playmakers of the past few seasons. Like last season under Chris Ash, the Notre Dame rush defense should be able to limit Navy on the ground and hold the Midshipmen 75-100 yards below their season average of 307 yards per game, which will make it very difficult for Navy to sustain drives.

Last season, Notre Dame held Navy to 206 rushing yards, a bad game for the Midshipmen, and over 1.2 yard per carry below their season average. The result was that Navy converted only 27% of their third downs - tied for their season low - and scored just one touchdown. On the offensive side, against the nation's 123rd ranked pass defense, CJ Carr will get his first game with over 300 yards passing as the Irish offense takes a step forward after the bye week in preparation for Miami. 

Prediction: Notre Dame 42, Navy 10

Losing by four points to No. 8 BYU undoubtedly left a bad taste in Notre Dame’s mouth. There’s little doubt to me that the Irish have been sitting at home during this Bye week with a mix of emotions: feeling great to rest yet also furious and hungry to get back to playing winning football again. I think Notre Dame gets back on track against Navy, winning by a big margin.

The Midshipmen are 2-5 and coming off back-to-back losses against North Texas and UTSA, both games in which their defense gave up 38 and 49 points respectively. As long as they don’t get caught looking too far ahead with the showdown next weekend against Miami, I think CJ Carr and Co. have a big day with a strong win to set up a big-time heavyweight match next weekend against the Hurricanes.

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