It may be one of the most lopsided rivalries in all of sports and it may not feel like your traditional rivalry filled with dislike, disrespect and hate, but Notre Dame and Navy have played football every fall against each other since 1927.
That unfortunately won’t be the case this fall, however.
With the nationwide pandemic due to COVID-19 and the conferences of college football scurrying to put together a plan for the year, Notre Dame joined the ACC for the 2020 season.
Part of the ACC guidelines were that member schools could play just one out-of-conference game and that one game had to be played in the ACC member schools home state.
As a result, Notre Dame and Navy, which was set to be played in Annapolis, Maryland this September, is now off.
It’s the first time since 1926 that these two won’t meet on the football field.
I know the Navy game is one that Notre Dame seemingly has nothing to gain from:
- An offense that is equal parts unique and physical that is nothing like Notre Dame plays against the entire rest of the season.
- A national perception that a win means nothing, even if its in blowout fashion over a ranked opponent, like was the case when Notre Dame beat No. 23 Navy 52-20 in 2019.
- Lose and jokes will be made about it literally over a decade later.
Yeah there are negatives that come with it. It’s also tradition and something that unless you’re knocking on the door of the century mark in years, you haven’t seen before.
That’s not to say some traditions aren’t worth re-examining, see the end of the Notre Dame series with Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue in the last decade.
Notre Dame and Navy might not be the most thrilling of rivalries and it may not get your blood boiling like when USC or Michigan are in town, but it’s a tradition that has been going on seemingly forever and I’m sad to see everything from the different feel on campus that game day to the playing of the Alma maters after the game vanish for this fall.
Here’s to hoping things get back to normal with these two in 2021.