One of the greatest traditions in college football hits the gridiron once again Saturday when Navy (7–1) visits No. 10 Notre Dame (6–2) in South Bend, Ind.
It will be the 98th meeting between these two programs in a rivalry that first began in 1927. Entering Saturday, the Fighting Irish hold an 81–13–1 all-time advantage over the Midshipmen, and are currently riding a seven-game winning streak dating back to 2017.
Always a highly anticipated matchup, the 2025 edition could have been even more exciting if Navy had stayed unbeaten last week against North Texas, but they lost 31–17 on the road to drop to 7–1. Navy is led by quarterback Blake Horvath, who has thrown for 1,143 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 926 yards and 13 scores.
Notre Dame stumbled out of the gate, losing to Miami 27–24 to open the season at Hard Rock Stadium and 41–40 in a nail-biter to Texas A&M the following week. But the Fighting Irish have prevailed since, winning six straight games heading into the rivalry clash against Navy.
As we wait for the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, here are three things to know about the game:
Why do Notre Dame and Navy play each other every year?
Notre Dame and Navy boast two of the oldest college football programs in the sport’s history. They first began battling back in 1927, with the Fighting Irish taking the fist six games of the series and allowing a mere 15 points. Navy won for the first time in 1933 and claimed three of four matchups from 1933 to ‘36.
The two programs were tied even closer together in history around World War II when Notre Dame, like many universities, was dealing with financial troubles. The Navy used Notre Dame as a training center for V-12 candidates and kept the university afloat by paying for the facilities. Notre Dame has invited the Navy to play its football team annually ever since.
The matchup was played for a record 93 years in a row from 1927 until 2020 when the game was canceled due to COVID-19. It still holds the record as the longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalry in college football, and the third-longest uninterrupted rivalry in college football history.
The streak
Notre Dame won a record 43 straight games over Navy from 1964 to 2006—the longest winning streak over a single opponent in college football history. The Midshipmen came within one possession of the Fighting Irish just six times over that span—a 27–21 loss in 1976, an 18–17 loss in 1984, a 21–17 defeat in 1997, a 28–24 loss in 1999, a 30–23 loss in 2002, and a 27–24 defeat in 2003.
Navy finally broke through in an unforgettable thrilling triple-overtime 46–44 victory in 2007. Facing a struggling 1–7 Fighting Irish team, Navy took the game to overtime and won it when the Fighting Irish failed to convert a potential game-tying two-point conversion.
Navy has won three additional games since 2006 with wins in 2009, ‘10 and ‘16.
The trophy
Notre Dame and Navy began playing for the Rip Miller Trophy in 2011. The trophy is named after Edgar “Rip” Miller, who played college football at Notre Dame in the 1920s and was a part of the famous offensive line nicknamed the “Seven Mules.” Miller later coached at Navy and led the Midshipmen to the program’s first victory over Notre Dame in 1933.
Navy has won the Rip Miller Trophy just once since it was established—a 28–27 win in 2016.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Notre Dame, Navy Play Rivalry Game Every Year.
