Notre Dame has beaten Navy in 82 of their 96 meetings going back to 1927. It has won the last six games by an average of 23.5 points. It reflects college football Darwinian theory that the strongest survive.

Bill Wagner, Navy football beat writer for Capital Gazette and The Sun, engaged in a question-and-answer exchange with Tim O’Malley of Irish Illustrated. Below are the Irish Illustrated

When Notre Dame football takes on the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday, it is going to be the battle between two elite units: the Irish defense and the Navy offense. The outcome of this football should largely be settled based upon how that matchup shakes out.