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
Duke (2-1) at Virginia Tech (2-1), Fri 7:00PM ET on ESPN
Kick off your football early this weekend by catching up with Duke and Virginia Tech on Friday night. Both teams lost their opener but have rebounded nicely — Duke’s blemish came at the hands of Alabama, while the Hokies fell to Boston College.
The game is expected to tight, but look for Duke to sneak away late. Virginia Tech’s 2018 defensive woes haven’t yet been exorcised, and a good Duke team will give Irish fans another opportunity for road panic later in the season.
Other Upcoming Opponents
- Navy (2-0) at Memphis (Thu 8:00PM ET, ESPN)
- Michigan (2-1) vs Rutgers (Sat 12:00PM ET, Big Ten Network)
- Southern Cal (3-1) at Washington (Sat 3:30PM ET, Fox)
- Boston College (3-1) at Wake Forest (Sat 3:30PM ET, ACC Network)
- Stanford (1-3) at Oregon State (Sat 7:00PM ET, Pac-12 Network)
Past Opponents
- New Mexico (2-1) at Liberty (Sat 6:00PM ET, ESPN+)
Schedule Strength
Last week, Notre Dame’s 2019 opponents went 5-4. On the year, Irish opponents are 28-14 (67% win rate) with an average schedule strength of 91.
Rank |
Team |
Record |
Change |
| 2 |  Stanford | 1-3 | ↑ 12 |
| 22 |  Southern Cal | 3-1 | ↑ 20 |
| 25 |  Notre Dame | 2-1 | ↑ 49 |
| 45 |  Michigan | 2-1 | ↑ 57 |
| 64 |  Louisville | 2-2 | ↑ 36 |
| 65 |  Georgia | 4-0 | ↑ 53 |
| 98 |  Duke | 2-1 | ↓ 2 |
| 105 |  Virginia | 4-0 | ↓ 67 |
| 111 |  Bowling Green | 1-3 | ↓ 17 |
| 122 |  Boston College | 3-1 | ↑ 24 |
| 125 |  New Mexico | 2-1 | ↓ 91 |
| 129 |  Virginia Tech | 2-1 | ↑ 33 |
| 203 |  Navy | 2-0 | ↑ 5 |
Powered by SC schadenfreude, husband to Mrs. IrishElvis (not pictured), rabble rouser. TCB.
- Lost And Found: A Twitter Summary - December 6, 2021
- See You Never, Rival - October 22, 2021
- The Sandman Cometh - October 6, 2021
