This Week 9 game is arguably the biggest of the weekend

Week 9 of the 2024 college football season is upon us and it is brimmed with highly intriguing matchups. The 5-1 Syracuse Orange will take on undefeated No. 19 Pittsburgh in a battle of high-powered offenses. The other interesting matchups include No. 17 Boise State versus UNLV, No.15 Alabama taking on No. 21 Missouri, and No. 8 LSU going head-to-head against No. 14 Texas A&M.

However, the most anticipated game of the weekend is arguably No. 12 Notre Dame versus No. 24 Navy in a matchup with College Football Playoff implications.

First of all, the Midshipmen are 6-0 after a 51-17 drubbing of Charlotte last weekend. Navy is now 6-0 for the first time since 1979! Second year head coach Brian Newberry has completely turned around his team after having finished 5-7 last season. Navy's offense leans heavily on its running attack, as the Midshipmen are ranked fourth in the country in rushing offense (274.8 yards per game), respectively.

In speaking of rushing, Navy junior quarterback Blake Horvath has proven to the country that he can be lethal through the air and especially on the ground. Horvath has tossed for 888 yards, 10 touchdowns and only one interception. Moreover, Horvath is averaging 7.9 yards per carry and amassed 621 total yards on the ground (Horvath is ranked 16th in rush yards per game).

The Ohio native is definitely a sleeper Heisman candidate and if he perhaps has a strong outing against the Fighting Irish and they win? Watch out Ashton Jeanty, because Horvath will be right there in the Heisman contention with him.

As for the Fighting Irish, they've managed to wash off the stench of arguably the biggest upset in College Football history when they lost in South Bend to Northern Illinois when they were ranked No. 5. Since the upset loss, the Irish have won five consecutive games and are ranked No. 12 in the latest AP Poll.

The Irish have absolutely no room for error, as head coach Marcus Freeman can't afford to have yet another disappointing campaign in his third season as head coach. Quarterback Riley Leonard hasn't had the season many projected him to have after coming off strong seasons at Duke. In 2024, Leonard has garnered 1,1182 passing yards, 6 touchdowns and three interceptions, respectively.

However, the Notre Dame defense is still one of the best in the country (10th in total defense), but it recently lost star defensive back Benjamin Morrison. The loss of Morrison is a gigantic loss, but Navy's prolific rushing attack is what the Irish will have to focus on. In the lone loss to the Huskies, the Irish gave up nearly 200 yards on the ground and it can't afford to allow a performance like that against the Midshipmen.

Who would have thought that this game would be one of the premier matchups this late in the season? Especially when they met last season which saw the Irish win 42-3.

Can the Midshipmen cause the upset against Notre Dame as huge underdogs? Navy enters this game as one of out only 10 teams in the FBS to be undefeated. As for the Irish, its current five-game winning streak is tied for the 13th longest active streak in the country. Leonard and the Irish already have one huge blemish on its resume and if they want to make the College Football Playoff, the rest of it has to be spotless.

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