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The Navy Midshipmen open the 2012 season bright and early on Saturday morning with a season-opening clash against Notre Dame in Dublin. The teams traveled to Ireland late in the week to try and get accustomed to the time change, and kick off from Aviva Stadium is scheduled for 9 a.m. ET.
The Midshipmen and Irish played in Dublin in 1996 but the response and attendance was mediocre. This year, there's expected to be a near capacity crowd with many ND faithful and subway alums making the trek overseas. The Irish will be without some key players due to offseason mishaps. Tommy Rees, Cierre Wood, and Carlo Calabrese are a few of the big names who will be out for the Irish. Notre Dame is currently favored by 14.5 points, a large spread given the missing players and the recent struggles against Navy's option attack.
CBS will carry the early morning broadcast beginning at 9 a.m. ET. Verne Lundquist will have the call, with his patented chortle ready to ring in the season early Saturday .
Stay with SB Nation DC for more news and updates on Navy's start to the season. For more on Notre Dame, visit One Foot Down. And for all your college football news as the seasons kicks off, check out SB Nation's NCAA football hub.