Key Takeaways:
– The Notre Dame-Navy annual football matchup in 2024 will take place at the MetLife Stadium.
– This will be the eighth time the legendary game takes place at the Meadowlands Complex and the first time since 2010.
– In 2019, both teams were in the top-25 when Notre Dame won a thrilling victory over Navy.
– Navy aspires to seize its first 7-0 season start since 1978.
– Notre Dame vies for a place in the 12-team College Football Playoff by bouncing back from a Week 2 setback against Northern Illinois.
Notre Dame Versus Navy: A Time-Honored Tradition Resurfaces
Undoubtedly, the prospect of the annual Notre Dame-Navy football matchup always stirs excitement in college football circles. Add to it the yearning of Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish and Navy’s Midshipmen to vanquish their opponents on the playing ground of MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford. Scheduled for noon ET on Saturday, the eighth installment of this classic competition at the Meadowlands Complex promises to keep fans on their toes since their memorable contest in 2010.
Turning Back the Clock
Traditions hinge on historical precedents. In 2019, this annual betting spectacle saw both teams categorized as top-25 teams. Notre Dame, positioned at No. 16, managed a triumphant 52-20 score over Navy, ranked 21st. However, the Midshipmen savored the sweet taste of victory in 2009 when they outshone 21st-ranked Notre Dame with a 23-21 score in South Bend. The records also recall three more occasions when Navy triumphed over Notre Dame, immortalizing the years 1936, 1944, and 1957 in sporting history.
Ahead of the upcoming game, Navy tempts fate with a daring ambition to recreate the crowning glory of their perfect 7-0 season start in 1978. Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish, picking up after losing to Northern Illinois, are desperate to win the upcoming games to secure their place in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Why MetLife Stadium?
The question that needs addressing is why MetLife Stadium is the chosen battleground for the 2024 Notre Dame-Navy game. On August 5, 2021, the athletic circles buzzed with the exciting revelation that the 2024 chapter of this annual showdown would take place here. Chet Gladchuk, the Director of Athletics at the Naval Academy, and MetLife Stadium President and CEO, Ron VanDeVeen, shared the news. Gladchuk expressed high expectations for the upcoming game, acknowledging that playing at MetLife Stadium always amounts to a memorable day of college football.
Though Notre Dame hosts its home games against Navy at the South Bend Stadium, the size of Navy’s home ground, the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, necessitates a larger neutral venue for the Navy’s home games against Notre Dame. The Annapolis-based stadium is capable of accommodating 34,000 fans, which pales compared to MetLife Stadium’s 82,500-capacity field. Not to mention how last season’s Notre Dame-Navy standoff drew a considerable crowd in Dublin as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Series, which saw Notre Dame clinch a 42-3 victory.
The tradition of playing outside home grounds is not foreign to this popular matchup. The list of venues stretches across Baltimore, Jacksonville, San Diego, Philadelphia, and even Orlando, amongst other places. The 2024 game marks the second instance of the contest being carried out at East Rutherford since 2000. The previous decade’s encounters encompass a victorious 27-9 score for the Irish against the Midshipmen on October 16, 2004, at the old Giants Stadium and a triumphant 35-17 score for Navy against Notre Dame on October 23, 2010, at the newly christened Meadowlands Stadium.