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
Michigan (5-1) at Penn State (6-0), Sat 7:30PM ET on ABC
It’s the bye week, sports fans, which means your weekend is wide open. This Irish fan has no personal rooting interest in this particular contest, but I will be whispering “knees and ankles” into the ears of every Nittany Lion I encounter between now and Saturday night.
Michigan’s offense has likely shown everything it’s going to be (and, notably, not going to be) this year. But with any luck, the Penn State offense will provide some insight into some effective ways to crack the Michigan defensive scheme. Notre Dame’s offense can use all the help it can get next weekend.
Other Upcoming Opponents
- Stanford (3-3) vs UCLA (Thu 9:00PM ET, ESPN)
- Boston College (3-3) vs NC State (Sat 12:00PM ET, ACC Network)
- Duke (4-2) at Virginia (Sat 3:30PM ET, ACC Network)
- Navy (4-1) vs South Florida (Sat 3:30PM ET, CBS Sports Network)
- Virginia Tech (4-2) vs North Carolina (Sat 3:30PM ET, ACC Network)
- Michigan (5-1) at Penn State (Sat 7:30PM ET, ABC)
Past Opponents
- Louisville (4-2) vs Clemson (Sat 12:00PM ET, ABC)
- Bowling Green (2-4) vs Central Michigan (Sat 2:00PM ET, Watch ESPN)
- New Mexico (2-4) at Wyoming (Sat 3:00PM ET)
- Georgia (5-1) vs Kentucky (Sat 6:00PM ET, ESPN)
- Southern Cal (3-3) vs Arizona (Sat 9:30PM ET, Pac-12 Network)
Schedule Strength
Last week, Notre Dame’s 2019 opponents went 6-4. On the year, Irish opponents are 43-28 (61% win rate) with an average schedule strength of 67.
Rank |
Team |
Record |
Change |
| 1 |  Stanford | 3-3 | ↑ 1 |
| 4 |  Southern Cal | 3-3 | ↑ 8 |
| 41 |  Virginia | 4-2 | ↑ 10 |
| 43 |  Notre Dame | 5-1 | ↑ 10 |
| 46 |  Louisville | 4-2 | ↑ 25 |
| 67 |  Georgia | 5-1 | ↑ 20 |
| 70 |  Bowling Green | 2-4 | ↓ 7 |
| 72 |  Duke | 4-2 | ↓ 30 |
| 76 |  Michigan | 5-1 | ↓ 33 |
| 89 |  Navy | 4-1 | ↑ 23 |
| 99 |  Boston College | 3-3 | ↓ 0 |
| 107 |  Virginia Tech | 4-2 | ↓ 30 |
| 129 |  New Mexico | 2-4 | ↓ 12 |
Powered by SC schadenfreude, husband to Mrs. IrishElvis (not pictured), rabble rouser. TCB.
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