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 vs Washington (Sat 10:30pm ET ESPN)
Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan
ND fans’ focus should be on the Northwest (not on Northwestern…although purple is prominently involved) for a late Saturday night Pac-12 matchup. A one-loss — and highly-ranked — Stanford Cardinal will try to rustle up a victory in Seattle, and Irish fans may find themselves rooting for the trees here. Notre Dame’s playoff hopes may hinge on Stanford running the table for their season finale with the Irish.
Strength-of-Schedule Rankings
Last week, ND opponents went 5-5. On the year, ND opponents are a combined 42-32 (56.8%), with an average schedule strength of 44.
Rank |
Team |
Record |
Weekly Change |
| 1 | Texas | 2-4 | — |
| 8 | Virginia | 2-4 | -5 |
| 9 | Georgia Tech | 2-5 | -2 |
| 11 | Southern Cal | 3-3 | +14 |
| 21 | Stanford | 5-1 | -8 |
| 23 | Notre Dame | 6-1 | — |
| 37 | Pittsburgh | 5-1 | +3 |
| 40 | Clemson | 6-0 | -24 |
| 60 | Massachusetts | 1-5 | -30 |
| 61 | Wake Forest | 3-4 | +14 |
| 69 | Boston College | 3-4 | +33 |
| 84 | Navy | 4-1 | -13 |
| 125 | Temple | 6-0 | -12 |
Other Upcoming Opponents
- Temple at East Carolina (Thu 7pm ET ESPN2)
- Pittsburgh at Syracuse (Sat 12pm ET ESPNU)
- Wake Forest vs NC State (Sat 12pm ET ESPN3)
- Boston College at Louisville (Sat 12:30pm ET ESPN3)
Past Opponents
- Texas vs Kansas State (Sat 12pm ET Fox Sports 1)
- Clemson at Miami (Sat 12pm ET ABC)
- Navy vs Tulane (Sat 1pm ET CBS Sports Network)
- Massachusetts vs Toledo (Sat 3pm ET ESPN3)
- Virginia at North Carolina (Sat 3:30pm ET ESPN3)
- Georgia Tech vs Florida State (Sat 7pm ET ESPN2)
- Southern Cal vs Utah (Sat 7:30pm ET Fox)
Powered by SC schadenfreude, husband to Mrs. IrishElvis (not pictured), rabble rouser. TCB.
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