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
Pittsburgh vs North Carolina (Thu 7pm ET ESPN)

I couldn’t find any photos of current Pitt players, so here’s one of their student managers dressed as a leprechaun for practice the last time they prepped for Notre Dame.
Despite the Tar Heels’ week one slip-up against South Carolina, they’ve rebounded to notch six straight victories. Pitt’s lone blemish came in week 3 against Iowa (talk to your kids now, folks). If UNC jumps to an early lead, the Panthers will have a tough time playing ketchup, but a Pitt win will aid ND’s schedule strength. On the other hand, a road win would be a feather in Carolina’s cap (or Fedora, in this case).
Strength-of-Schedule Rankings
Last week, ND opponents went 8-4. On the year, ND opponents are a combined 50-36 (58.1%), with an average schedule strength of 41.
Rank |
Team |
Record |
Weekly Change |
1 | Texas | 3-4 | — |
6 | Georgia Tech | 3-5 | +3 |
7 | Virginia | 2-5 | +1 |
10 | Southern Cal | 4-3 | +1 |
19 | Notre Dame | 6-1 | +4 |
24 | Stanford | 6-1 | -3 |
27 | Clemson | 7-0 | +13 |
42 | Pittsburgh | 6-1 | -5 |
46 | Massachusetts | 1-6 | +14 |
52 | Boston College | 3-5 | +17 |
60 | Wake Forest | 3-5 | +1 |
100 | Navy | 5-1 | -16 |
111 | Temple | 7-0 | +14 |
Other Upcoming Opponents
- Wake Forest vs Louisville (Fri 7pm ET ESPN2)
- Boston College vs Virginia Tech (Sat 12:30pm ET ESPN College Extra)
- Stanford at Washington State (Sat 10:30pm ET ESPN)
Past Opponents
- Navy vs South Florida (Sat 12pm ET CBS Sports Network)
- Massachusetts at Ball State (Sat 1pm ET ESPN3)
- Georgia Tech at Virginia (Sat 3pm ET ESPN College Extra)
- Southern Cal at California (Sat 3pm ET Fox)
- Clemson at NC State (Sat 3:30pm ET ABC/ESPN2)
- Texas at Iowa State (Sat 7pm ET Fox Sports 1)
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