Top 5 matchups for Week 9 of the 2024 college football season
4. No. 12 Notre Dame at No. 24 Navy – Saturday, Noon ET, ABC
Notre Dame and Navy have a special rivalry as the two teams have played annually since 1927 outside of the Covid-impacted 2020 campaign. Saturday’s contest will be a rare matchup where both squads are ranked and will be an opportunity for Navy to earn a statement victory. It would be its first in the series since 2016 and just its 14th overall as the Fighting Irish have won 80 of the previous 94 contests.
Last year’s 42-3 win for Notre Dame in Dublin was another big victory for the Fighting Irish in the historic rivalry, but things figure to be closer at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday despite the Irish being favored by two touchdowns. Notre Dame suffered a surprising Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois but has been dominant since. The schedule has perhaps been weaker compared to other potential playoff teams, but the numbers don’t lie as Marcus Freeman again has a top-10 defense in the country while Notre Dame has also put up 34.6 points per contest offensively behind Riley Leonard and Jeremiyah Love.
Notre Dame’s defense against Navy’s high-powered offense will be an exciting matchup on Saturday as the Midshipmen rank fourth in scoring in the country at 44.8 points per game while featuring the fourth-best rushing attack in the nation, primarily thanks to standout quarterback Blake Horvath. Navy’s defense hasn’t quite been as stout but it has stiffened over its last three contests. The matchup sets up well for the undefeated Midshipmen as they seem capable of outscoring the Fighting Irish. Doing so could take them to 7-0 for the first time since 1978.
