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
Southern Cal vs Washington (Thu 9pm ET ESPN)
In five years at Washington, Steve Sarkisian went 34-29, and led the team to four straight bowls. (Tom Hauck/AP)
Before Steve Sarkisian huskled off to coach the Trojans, he was the lead dog at Washington. Next week’s opponent features receivers JuJu SmiShu (my abbreviation) and Adoree Jackson, two names you’ll want to know if coverage woes continue to dog Notre Dame’s secondary.
Strength-of-Schedule Rankings
On the year, ND opponents are a combined 32-21 (60.4%), with an average schedule strength of 46.
Rank |
Team |
Record |
Weekly Change |
| 2 | Texas | 1-4 | +9 |
| 3 | Virginia | 1-3 | — |
| 6 | Stanford | 4-1 | +3 |
| 18 | Pittsburgh | 3-1 | +27 |
| 28 | Georgia Tech | 2-3 | +37 |
| 29 | Clemson | 4-0 | +44 |
| 30 | Notre Dame | 4-1 | +16 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | 1-3 | -24 |
| 48 | Southern Cal | 3-1 | +10 |
| 67 | Wake Forest | 2-3 | +48 |
| 100 | Temple | 4-0 | -44 |
| 105 | Navy | 4-0 | +39 |
| 107 | Boston College | 3-2 | +60 |
Other Upcoming Opponents
- Temple vs Tulane (Sat 12pm ET ESPN News)
- Pittsburgh at Virginia (Sat 12:30pm ET ESPN3)
- Wake Forest at Boston College (Sat 3pm ET ESPN3)
Past Opponents
- Texas vs Oklahoma (Sat 12pm ET ABC)
- Massachusetts at Bowling Green (Sat 2pm ET ESPN3)
- Georgia Tech at Clemson (Sat 3:30pm ET ABC/ESPN2)
