Greg McElroy names Navy vs. Notre Dame in Week 0 to ultimate 2023 college football schedule

College football expert Greg McElroy has broken down the 2023 college football schedule, looking for the best games of each weekend. For the opening week before the opening week, Week 0, McElroy has deemed the Navy versus Notre Dame the ultimate game for that week.

“Last year, if you remember, it would have very obviously been Northwestern and Nebraska. That was probably the game of the weekend, on paper, at least,” said McElroy. “For the interesting storylines surrounding Scott Frost and can Northwestern bounce back after a disappointing season, all these different things. This year it’s pretty easy; it’s Navy and Notre Dame.

“Rivalry game, it’s going to be played in Dublin, Ireland. How can you not be excited about a game that’s overseas?”

Last year’s Week 0 matchup between Nebraska and Northwestern was an interesting contest on paper and the field. The Wildcats delivered the first upset of the college football season by beating the Cornhuskers 31-28 in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. It was also Northwester’s only win of the 2023 season and the beginning of the end for Frost.

Notre Dame squaring off against Navy is also a bit of a head-scratcher for McElroy, given that the game will be played in Ireland. Still, he finds a way to connect the dots and make sense of the game’s appeal on multiple levels.

“I still wonder… I’m still trying to figure out what do you stand to gain from going and playing a game in Dublin, Ireland. I’m not sure. Are you recruiting over there? I don’t know. But it makes sense when you are a service academy. Maybe it’s, for instance, with so many ex-pats over there across the pond being able to go up. Maybe you served in the Navy, (or) you served in the Army. If you wanna go support a service Academy, you get to do so against the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame being played in Ireland makes all the sense in the world.

“So, Week zero, Navy at Notre Dame (it’s the) first look at Sam Hartman, first at the new offensive coordinator, first at Marcus Freeman in year number two.

This will be their first big test of the season for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish will face a rigorous schedule in 2023, including NC State, Clemson, and two teams expected to compete for a spot in the college football playoffs by most experts: Ohio State and USC. All those matchups can easily be the game of the week on their respective weekend. But for sure, Notre Dame versus Navy in Week 0 should be one of, if not the top contest of that week.

The post Greg McElroy names Navy vs. Notre Dame in Week 0 to ultimate 2023 college football schedule appeared first on On3.