Notre Dame’s longstanding rivalry with Navy will find itself in a familiar early-window spotlight next season, as the schools announced that their matchup will kick off at 12 p.m. ET and air on either ABC or ESPN.
The Navy athletics department confirmed the time slot with the determination of the broadcast rights being decided closer to the game. Noon starts have been the preferred television window for this matchup, giving it a prominent national stage without competing directly against other prime-time heavyweights.
The game continues Notre Dame’s long-standing relationship with the ESPN/ABC family of networks, which has frequently showcased the Irish in neutral-site and specialty games outside of the program’s traditional home-package partner.
Notre Dame has dominated the recent stretch of the series, including a 49-10 rout of the Midshipmen in South Bend this past season. C.J. Carr had a notable game in which he threw for 218 passing yards and three touchdowns leading the Irish to their seventh straight victory of the season.
The noon kickoff will place a spotlight on a Notre Dame team facing sky-high expectations next season, with some outlets having the Irish as the favorite to win the National Championship. On3 Sports forecasts Notre Dame to reach the College Football Playoff and ultimately defeat Georgia in the National Championship game.
With Carr emerging and the Irish continuing to stack stellar recruiting classes, the Navy matchup will be viewed as a potential trap game for a team with title ambitions.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame football announces its 2026 start time against Navy
Reporting by Sunny Verma, Fighting Irish Wire / Fighting Irish Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
