Getty The Notre Dame Fighting Irish kick off their season in Ireland against Navy on August 26.
The 2023 college football season is upon us, with the Navy Midshipmen (0-0) taking on the No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-0) at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.
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The game will be televised on NBC, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream for free on FuboTV or DirecTV Stream.
Here’s how:
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of NBC and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Navy vs Notre Dame live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the NBC Sports app or NBCSports.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your FuboTV credentials to do that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” NBC is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Navy vs Notre Dame live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the NBC Sports app or NBCSports.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.
Peacock TV
If you’ve used up all your free trials for other streaming services, the cheapest way to watch a live stream of the game is on Peacock TV’s Premium plan, which costs $5.99 per month and includes every Notre Dame home game (this one qualifies as a “home” game) this season:
Once signed up for Peacock, you can watch Navy vs Notre Dame live on the Peacock TV app or Peacock TV website.
Compatible devices for the Peacock TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Sling TV
If you’re looking for another cheap option, you can watch a live stream of NBC (live in select markets) and 40-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” package. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with NBC and other sports channels, and you can get your first month half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch Navy vs Notre Dame live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the NBC Sports app or NBCSports.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
Navy vs Notre Dame Preview
Notre Dame finished with a 9-4 overall record last season, netting 31.8 points per game on offense and allowing 23.0 points per contest on defense.
Sam Hartman, who transferred over from Wake Forest, will be using his final year of eligibility to play for the Irish. Hartman threw for 3,701 yards, 38 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season, and now, he’ll make his debut on a different continent, although the trip is something Notre Dame has been planning for in great detail for months.
”We’ve been preparing – myself and some of our staff have been preparing the logistics of traveling over here for a long time,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “We met about it in the spring, summer and really did research on when we want to come and what we want to do and what the team will have when we get here. We’re finally here. That’s exciting to finally have wheels down here in Ireland. We’re excited to be part of this.”
On the other side, Brian Newberry will take the reins from former Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo, who spent 15 seasons with the Midshipmen. Navy finished with a 4-8 mark in 2022 and will be looking to steal a rare win against its longtime rival.
Before the game, Newberry discussed his desire for depth at the quarterback position, noting he planned to start senior Tai Lavatai against Notre Dame over sophomore Blake Horvath, who has had a strong offseason with the Midshipmen.
“My hesitation with starting Blake would be this would be his first college football game,” Newberry said, on Glenn Clark Radio, via Press Box Radio. “Playing your first game in that kind of environment, I don’t know if it’s fair to put that kind of pressure on him right out of the gate. Tai’s played in those kinds of games. He’s played in the Army-Navy game. He’s played in the biggest venues and the biggest games of the year. He’s calm, cool and collected. So I anticipate that both of them will play.”
Last season, the Midshipmen averaged 21.9 points a game and relied on their usual run-heavy scheme, averaging over 241 yards rushing per contest to just 85.7 yards through the air. The return of fullback Daba Fofana, who had 769 yards and six touchdowns on the ground last year, should bring more of the same for Navy on offense.
The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series against the Midshipmen, 79-13-1.