What is the largest season-opening win in Notre Dame football history?

What is the opening day margin of victory record for Notre Dame football?

Asking for a friend who’s currently watching Sam Hartman, a powerhouse rushing attack, and ridiculous blocking run Navy into the ground in Dublin.

Hartman’s coming out party (well, with his new program, considering everyone who watched him percolate at Wake knew he had something special) represents an impressive opening salvo in Marcus Freeman’s quest to make National Championship noise this season.

But has any Notre Dame team ever performed better off the bat than this group, which grabbed a 35-0 lead over Navy and doesn’t seem to have any intention of looking back?

Largest Victory in Notre Dame Football History to Open Season

The largest opening game win in Fighting Irish history came way back in 1932 when the Irish defeated Haskell, a club that competed from 1896-1938. The program was revived in 1990, then shuttered once more in 2014, likely for good.

Notre Dame’s biggest all-time win in any week? Their astounding defeat of American Medical (now part of Loyola) in 1905, which ended at 142-0.

Odds are Navy will not plummet to those depths by the end of this one; running back Audric Estimé and Freeman’s control-the-clock offense will probably take too many chunks out of the remainder of the contest for the score to really go haywire.

Still, dominance is dominance, and this modern-day Notre Dame group is set up to make a powerful push before an early October clash with Ohio State.