The 2023 college football season is soon set to kick off for the four independent teams in the country, Notre Dame, UMass, UConn, and Army.
The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will welcome a new starting quarterback, as former Wake Forest signal-caller Sam Hartman will call South Bend his home this season. In front of him, will be a schedule featuring three top-10 opponents, Ohio State, USC, and Clemson.
UMass and UConn will battle it out for the Interstate 91 crown, while Army will finish their season facing historic rival Navy for the Commander In Chief trophy, one of college football's most prominent traditions.
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Favorite futures for 2023 season
Notre Dame Fighting Irish under 9 wins (-160)
The losses of offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and tight end Michael Mayer will be felt, even if the Irish did upgrade the quarterback position with incoming transfer Sam Hartman (Wake Forest). The defensive line is a concern, and there are question marks in the secondary for a unit that struggled mightily in the red zone last season. Home dates against Ohio State and the USC Trojans, not to mention a road trip to Clemson, loom large on the schedule. And don't sleep on the Louisville and Pittsburgh games, either.
Notable game lines
Navy vs Notre Dame (-20, 50)
Saturday, August 26, 2:30 p.m., Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
UMass at New Mexico State (-8, 42.5)
Saturday, August 26, 12 noon, Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, New Mexico
NC State (-15.5, 48) at UConn
Thursday, August 31, 7:30 p.m., Pratt & Whitney Stadium, East Hartford, Connecticut
Army (-7.5, 48.5) at Louisiana-Monroe
Saturday, September 2, 7 p.m., Malone Stadium, Monroe, Louisiana
UMass at Auburn (-39, 53)
Saturday, September 2, 3:30 p.m., Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama
Ohio State (-7.5) at Notre Dame
Saturday, September 23, 7:30 p.m., Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
Notre Dame (-4) at Louisville
Saturday, October 7, Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
USC (-1) at Notre Dame
Saturday, October 14, 7:30 p.m., Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
Notre Dame at Clemson (-7)
Saturday, November 4, Memorial Stadium, Clemson, South Carolina
Navy vs. Army (-1.5)
Saturday, December 8, 3:00 p.m., Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
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Team notes
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Have gone over win total in four of last five seasons (2023 over/under: 8.5 wins)
16-6 ATS against ranked teams last 5 seasons (5-1 ATS last season)
Home underdogs twice in 2023 (+7.5 vs Ohio State, +1 vs USC). Notre Dame has not been a home underdog twice in one season since 2010. Notre Dame is 6-1 outright and ATS as a home underdog since 2014.
Army Black Knights
Over the past 20 seasons, service academy games have gone under 78% of the time (47 out of 60 games). The Army-Navy game on Dec. 10, 2022, closed at 32 for the over/under, which was the lowest of any service academy game since at least 2000. And the score was 10-7 with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter before Army forced overtime with a late field goal. Both teams scored on their play in their respective overtimes to go over the total.