Ranking Notre Dame's Schedule Part II
Notre Dame’s football schedule always seems to keep folks on their toes as it is always a little more tricky than it might appear at first glance.
Is it as tough as Florida’s 2024 schedule on paper? Definitely not, but the Fighting Irish have some deceptive trap games this season and no easy wins after its September 16th game against Central Michigan.
If you missed the top six games on the 2023 Irish football schedule, check it out here: Ranking Notre Dame's Schedule Part I
7. At NC State (September 9th)
Importance: While it counts as the first true road game, Notre Dame will have the road trip to Ireland under its belt, so the routine shouldn’t be completely new. That said, facing an ACC opponent week three is tricky and NC State has enough talent to beat the Irish. NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong needs 40+ passes to be at his best and the Wolfpack offense will be a good test for what’s coming two weeks later as Ohio State comes to South Bend.
Personal Interest: The last time Notre Dame was at NC State, the two teams played in basically a hurricane. The lights at the top of the stadium were swaying, which wasn’t so comforting when you realized you were sitting at a similar height. The noon kickoff is fantastic, but also takes away some of the atmosphere, which is good for Notre Dame.
Unanswered Question: The safety group will be tested by Armstrong and it will be a measuring stick in terms of where the group needs to go - and in a short amount of time with the Buckeyes looming.
8. At Stanford (November 25th)
Importance: Notre Dame lost to Stanford last October and the taste is still there within the program, but also the fanbase. Stanford is far from the program it was a few years ago and it was a black mark for Marcus Freeman. The Cardinal lost several key pieces to the roster with the departure of David Shaw, which could make them even worse this season. Yes, Notre Dame has had trouble winning at The Farm, but this will be important for Freeman and the program to carry momentum into the Early Signing Period and end the regular season on a positive note.
Personal Interest: The trip to San Francisco is always fun, but at the same time, it’s not one of my favorite cities. There is no atmosphere at the game and while the weather is nicer than South Bend at the end of November, it has also not been great at times. That said, Stanford has one of the most underrated press box experiences as the views are great, food is good and they have a retractable window, which is good if it’s not 40 degrees and they decide to leave it down.
Unanswered Question: The West Coast trip to end the year took Brian Kelly a few years to figure out and Marcus Freeman is 0-1 after falling a year ago to USC.
9. Navy (August 26th)
Importance: Starting the year 1-0 is important to every program and Notre Dame is no different. The trip to Ireland adds some extra hassle no coach wants to deal with, but it is what it is. It’s also a game where Notre Dame’s interior will need to be at its best as Navy blitzed the heck out of the Irish offense last fall - and had success.
Personal Interest: A trip to Ireland isn’t overly exciting, but the debut of Sam Hartman is exciting. He’ll have eight months under his belt in the program and Freeman will officially turn the keys over to Hartman in week 0. Simply seeing what the Irish offense looks like will be intriguing.
Unanswered Question: Why isn’t the Navy game the first game of every season?
10. At Louisville (October 7th)
Importance: This is a trap game coming off a trap game against Duke. I’m sure there is a term but Duke follows Ohio State and Louisville is a week before USC comes to South Bend. It’s important for Notre Dame to go 2-0 during this stretch and it will likely be tougher than it looks on paper. Louisville isn’t a contender to win the ACC, but the Cardinals always have great athletes and it took Notre Dame a few quarters to figure it out last time they were in town. Quarterback Jack Plummer isn’t going to be a huge threat, but this will be the third time he’s faced Notre Dame as he played the Irish at Purdue and Cal.
Personal Interest: No airports and an easy drive to Louisville is great. The downside of Notre Dame not being in a conference is flying everywhere. The change is welcome. If I remember correctly, the parking at Louisville is a disaster.
Unanswered Question: Is this team mature enough to handle back-to-back road games sandwiched between two massive games?
11. Central Michigan (September 16th)
Importance: This will be the fine tune-up before Ohio State. Any concerns need to be ironed out and most of all, Notre Dame needs to get out of the game healthy. Much like Navy and Tennessee State - this game should be an opportunity to get young players experience in the third and fourth quarter. Notre Dame had an issue blowing teams out last year and couldn’t develop its roster when it came to game experience. Imagine if Rocco Spindler and Billy Schrauth were able to get 100-200 snaps last year instead of three....
Personal Interest: I’m sure there would have been a cool storyline or two if Brian Kelly was still at Notre Dame, but he’s at LSU. Perhaps this is a game where Jordan Botelho gets four sacks.
Unanswered Question: Marshall walked out of Notre Dame Stadium with a win a year ago. Notre Dame needs to blow the Chippewas out.
12. Tennessee State (September 2nd)
Importance: The important piece to this game is Notre Dame isn’t blowing a bye week in week one, which I feel is worth making history as the Irish will play its first FCS team. It will also be an enjoyable experience for Notre Dame to welcome an HBCU to South Bend and one that’s coached by Eddie George.
Personal Interest: It will be the first look at some of Notre Dame’s youngsters. Can Jeremiyah Love break one or does Steve Angeli hit one of the freshman receivers for a deep ball? The opportunity to get some of the young defensive players on the field will also be important.
Unanswered Question: Can Notre Dame avoid a sluggish start after coming back from Ireland and blow the doors off Tennessee State? As mentioned earlier, it’s important for Notre Dame to get its youth game experience and this is a golden opportunity.
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