Game Prediction: #16 Notre Dame vs. #23 Navy

No. 16 Notre Dame (7-2) takes on No. 23 Navy (7-1) tomorrow in a game that will bolster the New Year’s Six resume for the Irish, or crush it.

I’ve broken down how best to defend the option, provided keys to victory for the Irish offense, and broke down the on paper matchups for the Notre Dame offense and defense.

All that is left now is to make a prediction.

Notre Dame 27, Navy 20

I have been back and forth on this game all week. There are a number of different scenarios that could happen, with anything from a Notre Dame blowout victory to an Irish defeat. That’s how up-and-down Notre Dame has been this season, it’s just hard to know what we will see, especially on offense.

Notre Dame has been stout on defense for much of the season, and I’d be shocked if defensive coordinator Clark Lea doesn’t have his squad ready to play well. But even if the staff has a great game plan and the players execute it well, the Navy offense - led by dynamic quarterback Malcolm Perry - will be hard to keep off the scoreboard.

It might take the defense a quarter or so to truly get a read on the Navy option attack, but once that happens the Irish should be able to keep Navy in check.

The biggest question mark in this game is the offense. Will we see the inconsistent and underachieving unit that has been present for much of the season, or will the explosive group that we saw against Duke and in other instances show up? To beat Navy, the Notre Dame offense will need the good version of itself to be present.

If the offensive line is prepared and executes, and if Ian Book is aggressive, decisive and accurate, the Irish offense should be able to rip off big plays, establish the ground game and roll over the undersized Navy defense. If not, the game will be much closer than the talent between the two teams would otherwise dictate.

Five of the seven staff writers for Sports Illustrated picked Notre Dame, while two others picked Navy.

Ross Dellenger picked the Irish, and he explains why:

“The Irish and Midshipmen might be out of the playoff conversation, but this is an intriguing matchup. Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo has righted the ship after last year's 3–10 debacle, but Brian Kelly's club is just too talented. Notre Dame has an outside shot of reaching a New Year's Six bowl. Without this victory, the Irish won't have much of a shot.”

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