Each week in this space, we examine two things: Notre Dame’s strength of schedule (from USA Today‘s Sagarin rankings), and who Irish opponents are facing. For those of who want to scout future opponents, I’ll give you my recommendation for who to watch when you’re not watching Notre Dame Football.
Who To Watch
Stanford at Southern Cal (Sat 8:00pm ET ABC)

Southern Cal QB Cody Kessler
(Photo: AP)
After Notre Dame & Georgia Tech finishes (hopefully the final score won’t be a buzzkill), jump to ABC for a treemendous Pac-12 clash. The Trojans wrapped up two dominating wins against Idaho & Arkansas State, while Stanford fell to Northwestern in week one and had trouble scoring. USC’s defense doesn’t horse around, but their offense has been besieged by attrition the last few years.
Strength-of-Schedule Rankings
Rank |
Team |
Record |
Weekly Change |
3 | Virginia | 0-2 | +15 |
25 | Texas | 1-1 | -20 |
37 | Notre Dame | 2-0 | +30 |
38 | Stanford | 1-1 | -10 |
45 | Temple | 2-0 | +30 |
60 | Massachusetts | 0-1 | +140 |
135 | Clemson | 2-0 | +7 |
137 | Pittsburgh | 2-0 | -28 |
152 | Wake Forest | 1-1 | +39 |
167 | Southern Cal | 2-0 | -50 |
207 | Georgia Tech | 2-0 | -18 |
227 | Boston College | 2-0 | -70 |
228 | Navy | 1-0 | -46 |
Upcoming Opponents
- Clemson at Louisville (Thu 7:30pm ET ESPN)
- Boston College vs Florida State (Fri 8:00pm ET ESPN)
- Wake Forest at Army (Sat 12:00pm ET CBS Sports Network)
- Temple at Massachusetts (Sat 3:00pm ET ESPN3)
- Navy vs East Carolina (Sat 3:30pm ET CBS Sports Network)
- Pittsburgh at Iowa (Sat 8:00pm ET Big Ten Network)
Past Opponents
- Virginia vs William & Mary (Sat 3:30pm ET ESPN3)
- Texas vs California (Sat 7:30pm ET Fox)
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