Notre Dame football is on upset alert as the Navy Midshipmen come to South Bend. Here’s everything you need to know about this Week 12 matchup.
For the first time since 1978, Navy and Notre Dame will face off with both teams ranked inside the Top 25. Navy and Notre Dame have played each other every year since 1927, making it one of college football’s most historic and longest rivalries.
The history of this rivalry stems from the Department of the Navy providing financial support to the University of Notre Dame during the early 1900s. The Navy agreed to give money to Notre Dame to keep the institution running in exchange for the continuation of their ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps), which would produce officers in the Navy.
Because the Navy kept Notre Dame alive in the 1940s, the school continues to play the Naval Academy each year as a sign of appreciation and good faith.
The Irish own the all-time record by a long shot, 76-13-1, and won 43 straight years between 1964 and 2006. Since Navy broke “the streak” in 2007, the overall record is 8-4 in favor of Notre Dame. However, two of those wins are vacated due to violations, so we’ll call it 6-4 to be safe.
Without further ado, here is your in-depth 2019 Navy-Notre Dame preview.