College football Week 9 watchability rankings: Notre Dame vs. Navy is much more than symbolic this year

There’s a batch of history tied up successful Notre Dame versus Navy. Before nan crippled was canceled successful 2020 owed to obstacles from nan COVID-19 pandemic, it was nan longest continuous intersectional bid successful assemblage football, a crippled played annually since 1927.

For immoderate – mostly Notre Dame fans – it’s a small weird to genuinely telephone nan bid a rivalry, because of nan lopsided grounds that nan Irish clasp complete nan Midshipmen: 82-13-1. The crippled is still played each twelvemonth mostly because of its symbolism and nan history betwixt nan 2 schools.

To make a agelong communicative short, Notre Dame whitethorn not beryllium coming without nan U.S. Naval Academy. During World War II, Notre Dame saw a monolithic alteration successful enrollment which led to large financial problems for nan backstage Catholic institution successful South Bend, Indiana. The Navy provided thief by making nan schoolhouse a training center, which brought financial assistance to nan university.

The precocious Notre Dame Vice President Father Edmund Joyce said this of that difficult clip successful South Bend: “All I tin opportunity is without nan Navy during nan war, this institution would person gotten down to a fewer 100 students. Instead of that, we were almost doubly our normal size during nan war, and we were capable to lend thing to nan Navy.”

And so, nan bid betwixt nan Mids and nan Irish has continued, sometimes played successful South Bend and often played astatine a neutral tract – from Dublin, Ireland, to San Diego to Jacksonville, and to this year’s site, East Rutherford, New Jersey.

But nan crippled betwixt Notre Dame and Navy this play has existent shot stakes attached to it, elevated by nan College Football Playoff. The Irish, classed 12th successful nan AP Top 25 Poll and with a 6-1 record, astir apt request to tally nan array nan remainder of nan measurement to get an at-large bid into nan postseason tournament. Meanwhile, Navy, classed 24th successful nan AP Poll, is eyeing its first 7-0 commencement since 1978, and a non-conference triumph against a marquee force for illustration nan Irish would spell a agelong measurement successful boosting nan Mids’ chances of grabbing nan playoff spot that goes to nan highest-ranked Group of Five champion.

This crippled besides marks conscionable nan 3rd clip successful nan past 15 years that Navy and Notre Dame are gathering while some are ranked. The Irish and Mids divided those matchups, pinch Navy winning successful 2009 and Notre Dame winning successful 2019.

Navy besides enters this crippled having mislaid six consecutive to Notre Dame and will beryllium eager to threat that streak. And this season, nan Mids person shown they person much than capable firepower to do it, entering this matchup pinch nan nation’s fourth-best scoring discourtesy by putting up 44.8 points per game. The portion is led by backmost Blake Horvath, who has scored 10 touchdowns done nan aerial and 10 touchdowns connected nan ground, piling up northbound of 1,500 yards of full offense. If boats were a portion of football, he’d apt find a measurement to people by oversea too.

But Notre Dame presents the toughest defense nan Mids person faced this season, allowing conscionable 11.9 points per crippled which ranks 5th nationally. Only 2 teams person tallied much than 350 yards of full discourtesy against nan Irish, Louisville and Northern Illinois.

If you’re looking for a matchup drenched successful history that presents a conflict successful styles and will effect nan title for nan College Football Playoff, tune into Navy versus Notre Dame connected Saturday astatine noon ET connected ABC.

Here are nan different games you should cheque out:

All likelihood via BetMGM

Best Game of nan Week: No. 8 LSU astatine No. 14 Texas A&M

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET – ABC/ESPN+

Since LSU won 7 consecutive successful this bid successful nan mid-2010s, nan Tigers and nan Aggies person traded wins successful each of nan past six seasons, pinch nan location squad winning each game. And if you return retired nan 50-7 beatdown that nan eventual nationalist champs handed nan Aggies successful 2019, each crippled has been decided by an mean of 9 points. Simply put, viewers are usually treated to a nosy and competitory crippled erstwhile nan Aggies and Tigers meet. This year’s crippled successful College Station pits 2 6-1 teams against each other, some pinch unblemished records successful convention play.

Game that mightiness person an effect connected nan College Football Playoff: No. 5 Texas astatine No. 25 Vanderbilt

Saturday, 4:15 p.m. ET – SEC Network

All of a sudden, this looks for illustration a must-win crippled for nan Longhorns aft that loss to Georgia, and its matchup pinch a Vandy squad that is classed – yes, really – and is not nan pushover that it has historically been successful nan SEC. Are nan Commodores tin of slaying different giant? If Diego Pavia tin activity his magic again, Vanderbilt will find itself successful an moreover unlikelier situation: perchance playing for a playoff spot successful November.

Weird Weeknight Game of nan Week: Syracuse astatine No. 19 Pitt

Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET – ESPN

If you squint conscionable a small and usage your imagination, you tin spot nan Big East logos connected nan section and connected jersey patches successful this one.

Pitt is 6-0 for nan first clip since 1982 and mightiness person its champion backmost since Dan Marino successful Eli Holstein, who ranks sixth nationally successful full yards per crippled pinch 327.7. Meanwhile, Syracuse is disconnected to a 5-1 commencement nether first-year coach Fran Brown pinch Ohio State transportation Kyle McCord starring nan way. The Orange backmost is 4th successful nan federation successful walk completions this play pinch 185.

The Panthers and nan Orange first played successful 1916 and this marks their 80th meeting. Pitt is undefeated successful its past 5 Thursday nighttime games.

Awesome Group of Five matchup worthy watching: No. 17 Boise State astatine UNLV

Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET – CBS Sports Network

Boise is backmost successful action aft a week off, giving Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty immoderate much-needed remainder aft rushing for 217 yards connected 31 carries astatine Hawaii connected Oct. 12. Facing disconnected against nan Broncos this week is 6-1 UNLV, which has a fewer playmakers of its ain connected nan violative broadside of nan ball. Since taking complete for Matt Sluka, Campbell transportation Hajj-Malik Williams has piled up 1,228 yards of full discourtesy and 14 touchdowns. Boise and UNLV are a mixed 11-2 and each person a apical 5 scoring discourtesy nationally. The victor of what will apt beryllium a precocious scoring crippled will beryllium successful nan driver’s spot for a berth successful nan Mountain West Championship.

Sickos Guilty Pleasure Game of nan Week: Rutgers astatine USC

Friday, 11 p.m. ET – FOX

The lead-in for this crippled is Game One of nan World Series betwixt nan New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

But reader, please, you do not person to enactment up for this crippled – unless you really want to watch Lincoln Riley suffer to different Big Ten squad that USC has nary business losing to.

Also watch…

Tulane astatine North Texas: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET – ESPN2

No. 20 Illinois astatine No. 1 Oregon: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET – CBS/Paramount+

No. 21 Missouri astatine No. 15 Alabama: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC/ESPN+

No. 22 SMU astatine Duke: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET – ACC Network