On Monday, Notre Dame unveiled its 2025 home football schedule with game times, revealing minor tweaks from earlier expectations. Notably, the team will host three night games instead of the usual two, with the extra nighttime matchup set against Navy on November 8.
This shift is significant for several reasons, particularly for Notre Dame fans. The storied rivalry with Navy, which dates back nearly a century, remains a fixture on the schedule, with Notre Dame holding a commanding 83-13-1 series lead. While Navy has often been a middling opponent in the past, their outlook for 2025 is far stronger.
After starting 2024 with a 6-0 record and finishing 10-3, including a postseason victory over Oklahoma, Navy returns most of its talent and could vie for a College Football Playoff berth. Meanwhile, Notre Dame, fresh off a national championship game appearance, faces a potentially pivotal matchup. The night game slot, a departure from the typical 3:30 p.m. local start, promises to amplify the atmosphere for this unexpectedly high-stakes clash.
Why Penn State and Indiana Fans Should Be Upset
If you’re an Indiana or Penn State fan, the news of Notre Dame hosting Navy in primetime on NBC on November 8, 2025, stings. That scheduling decision likely pushes the Penn State vs. Indiana clash—a potential College Football Playoff (CFP) eliminator given both teams’ 2024 playoff appearances and strong 2025 prospects—out of primetime.
Instead, it’s almost certain to land in Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff slot at 12:00 p.m. ET. The Big Ten’s top games have increasingly been relegated to this early window, as seen with last year’s top-five Penn State-Ohio State showdown, which missed the electric night-game atmosphere fans crave.
Fox’s Big Noon slot pulls massive viewership, but noon starts rob fans of the magic of primetime showdowns. While “kegs and eggs” tailgates are fun, they don’t match the intensity of a night game under the lights. Big Ten fans are left frustrated as TV networks prioritize lucrative early broadcasts over tradition, unlike the primetime spectacles of yesteryear.
For Notre Dame, this is a flex. As an independent, they’re not bound by Big Ten scheduling constraints, and their primetime slot against a resurgent Navy team—fresh off a 10-3 season and eyeing a CFP bid—rewards their 2024 national championship game run. Marcus Freeman likely sees this as recruiting gold, pitching recruits on Notre Dame’s ability to play marquee games in primetime, a stark contrast to the Big Ten’s noon-heavy slate. The Irish’s independence from the Big Ten, rooted in history and identity, ensures they’ll keep capitalizing on such moments without apology.
Leave a Reply