2026 Schedule

[SportsingHard]

Doktor Entropy	Location	Date	F+
62 Wisconsin	WISC	9/6	73
121 Rice	HOME	9/12	117
66 Michigan State	HOME	9/19	83
69 Purdue	AWAY	9/26	74
95 North Carolina	AWAY	10/3	95
75 Navy	MASS	10/31	55
6 Miami	HOME	TBD	10
25 Florida State	AWAY	TBD	35
40 S.M.U.	HOME	TBD	39
76 Syracuse	AWAY	TBD	76

We have ten games so far, and I've included a couple current 2025 performance rankings. Projected difficulty:
1) Miami at home
2) at FSU
3) SMU at home
4) Wisconsin at Lambeau, at Purdue, At Syracuse, Navy in Massachusetts
8) Michigan St at home, at UNC
10) Rice at home

I like moderate schedule difficulty, but this is weak. What have people heard regarding possible opponents? Is USC realistic? Anybody else?

EDITED with help from @Classic Irish and @KPENN

 

[allenm5333]

Unrelated to 2026, Sampson made it seem like a 27/28 series with Auburn is happening

 

[Classic Irish]

Doktor Entropy	Location	Date	F+
62 Wisconsin	WISC	9/6	73
121 Rice	HOME	9/12	117
66 Michigan State	HOME	9/19	83
69 Purdue	AWAY	9/26	74
95 North Carolina	AWAY	10/3	95
75 Navy	MASS	10/31	55
6 Miami	HOME	TBD	10
25 Florida State	AWAY	TBD	35
40 S.M.U.	AWAY	TBD	39
76 Syracuse	HOME	TBD	76

We have ten games so far, and I've included a couple current 2025 performance rankings. Projected difficulty:
1) Miami at home
2) at FSU
3) at SMU
4) Wisconsin at Lambeau, at Purdue, Navy in Massachusetts
7) Michigan St and Syracuse at home, at UNC
10) Rice at home

I like moderate schedule difficulty, but this is weak. What have people heard regarding possible opponents? Is USC realistic? Anybody else?

I thought SMU was going to be a home game.

 

[KPENN]

Syracuse is an away game

 

[SportsingHard]

I thought SMU was going to be a home game.

Yep, I got Syracuse and SMU screwed up. Sorted now, thanks.

 

[stlnd01]

Doktor Entropy	Location	Date	F+
62 Wisconsin	WISC	9/6	73
121 Rice	HOME	9/12	117
66 Michigan State	HOME	9/19	83
69 Purdue	AWAY	9/26	74
95 North Carolina	AWAY	10/3	95
75 Navy	MASS	10/31	55
6 Miami	HOME	TBD	10
25 Florida State	AWAY	TBD	35
40 S.M.U.	HOME	TBD	39
76 Syracuse	AWAY	TBD	76

We have ten games so far, and I've included a couple current 2025 performance rankings. Projected difficulty:
1) Miami at home
2) at FSU
3) SMU at home
4) Wisconsin at Lambeau, at Purdue, At Syracuse, Navy in Massachusetts
8) Michigan St at home, at UNC
10) Rice at home

I like moderate schedule difficulty, but this is weak. What have people heard regarding possible opponents? Is USC realistic? Anybody else?

EDITED with help from @Classic Irish and @KPENN

I assume they're holding a space for USC (Sampson was saying in the wake of the game that he was hearing optimistic things from both sides), and then that probably impacts when we play Stanford. Can't think of any other reason why Stanford's not scheduled yet.

That would give us 10 P4s + Navy, but agree this is a pretty uninspiring slate, especially if Wisconsin, Sparty, UNC and Florida State all continue to suck. Maybe a new coach turns one or two of them around?

 

[irishff1014]

With that schedule so far you have to win every game.

 

[NDFAN2008]

We need another good opponent for 2026, hope they schedule an SEC school

 

[stlnd01]

We need another good opponent for 2026, hope they schedule an SEC school

The trouble is we play three Big Ten teams in the first four weeks. Doesn't give us a lot of flexibility at the time of year when P4s generally want to play out-of-conference. We'd probably have to punt one of those, maybe Purdue would play ball?

(Reading between the lines of Sampson on the Independent recently, this may be an issue with re-skedding the USC game too. They want to play early, but our schedule is booked with other Big Ten schools, who are not at the moment inclined to do a favor to USC b/c USC is blocking the private equity deal.)

 

[stpeteirish]

Purdue is a home game for them. They would be crazy not to move the game vs not play. It’s not like a non conference game in October will destroy their playoff run or conference championship hopes.

 

[texbender]

Is Stanford going off? Them and USC are MIA.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

I assume they're holding a space for USC (Sampson was saying in the wake of the game that he was hearing optimistic things from both sides), and then that probably impacts when we play Stanford. Can't think of any other reason why Stanford's not scheduled yet.

That would give us 10 P4s + Navy, but agree this is a pretty uninspiring slate, especially if Wisconsin, Sparty, UNC and Florida State all continue to suck. Maybe a new coach turns one or two of them around?

Is Stanford going off? Them and USC are MIA.

IIRC Stanford is in flux but not in serious jeopardy regarding future scheduling. I think both are waiting it out with the ACC regarding whether or not Stanford would count toward ND's 5 games, or if it would be ND ACCx5 PLUS Stanford, i.e. 6 ACC games in the years Stanford doesn't fall in the five game requirement.

Also I assume, as others have said, that they are waiting on USC.

EDIT: Found the article re: Stanford; it's not going anywhere.

Conflicting Reports On Impact Of Notre Dame - Stanford Series With ACC Expansion // UHND.com

The ACC officially added Stanford, Cal, and SMU on Friday as part of the latest NCAA expansion. Notre Dame was instrumental in the move, as Jack Swarbrick

www.uhnd.com

 

[BleedingGold]

With the addition of USC that will be a schedule that includes 5 ACC teams and 4 Big Ten teams. I bet the last team comes from the Big 12.

 

[NDFAN2008]

The trouble is we play three Big Ten teams in the first four weeks. Doesn't give us a lot of flexibility at the time of year when P4s generally want to play out-of-conference. We'd probably have to punt one of those, maybe Purdue would play ball?

(Reading between the lines of Sampson on the Independent recently, this may be an issue with re-skedding the USC game too. They want to play early, but our schedule is booked with other Big Ten schools, who are not at the moment inclined to do a favor to USC b/c USC is blocking the private equity deal.)

Yeah and all 3 of them stink

 

[JD Irish]

IIRC Stanford is in flux but not in serious jeopardy regarding future scheduling. I think both are waiting it out with the ACC regarding whether or not Stanford would count toward ND's 5 games, or if it would be ND ACCx5 PLUS Stanford, i.e. 6 ACC games in the years Stanford doesn't fall in the five game requirement.

Also I assume, as others have said, that they are waiting on USC.

EDIT: Found the article re: Stanford; it's not going anywhere.

Conflicting Reports On Impact Of Notre Dame - Stanford Series With ACC Expansion // UHND.com

The ACC officially added Stanford, Cal, and SMU on Friday as part of the latest NCAA expansion. Notre Dame was instrumental in the move, as Jack Swarbrick

www.uhnd.com

That article is over 2 years old and Stanford still isn't on any future schedules and there hasn't been any announcement about the series continuing since then. I am not optimistic it is going to continue.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

That article is over 2 years old and Stanford still isn't on any future schedules and there hasn't been any announcement about the series continuing since then. I am not optimistic it is going to continue.

There also hasn't been any announcement that they are canceling the series (think USC basically) and we know as recently as this past off season that ND is actively negotiating the contract with the ACC asking for a concession here (basically, give us Stanford and 4 others).

 

[texbender]

There also hasn't been any announcement that they are canceling the series (think USC basically) and we know as recently as this past off season that ND is actively negotiating the contract with the ACC asking for a concession here (basically, give us Stanford and 4 others).

Weren't they also trying to do the same with the multi year series with Clemson? Make it one of the 5 ACC games.

 

[NorthDakota]

I thought SMU was going to be a home game.

This is the back-end of the Home and Home deal signed in 88 or 89.

 

[stlnd01]

Weren't they also trying to do the same with the multi year series with Clemson? Make it one of the 5 ACC games.

Is Clemson not one of the five ACC games? Having Clemson AND Stanford AND five ACC games would be way too much ACC.

 

[texbender]

Is Clemson not one of the five ACC games? Having Clemson AND Stanford AND five ACC games would be way too much ACC.

I can't see ND agreeing to play that many ACC teams. Five is plenty and allows for ability to play some traditional foes as well as a few other interesting match ups.

Not sure when the Clemson series begins, but wasn't it to counter losing USC series?

 

[ShamrockOnHelmet]

That article is over 2 years old and Stanford still isn't on any future schedules and there hasn't been any announcement about the series continuing since then. I am not optimistic it is going to continue.

Oh my god, I would be SO HAPPY to have Stanford off the schedule forever. Please, football gods, make this happen

 

[calvegas04]

Oh my god, I would be SO HAPPY to have Stanford off the schedule forever. Please, football gods, make this happen

Why?

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

Why?

It is a weigh on our schedule. They are historically piss poor and add nothing. If we want California rotate UCLA, Stanford and SDSU. Stanford game is like Navy-lite. If we lose it is embarrasing as hell now. They had a decent run, but that is done.

 

[calvegas04]

It is a weigh on our schedule. They are historically piss poor and add nothing. If we want California rotate UCLA, Stanford and SDSU. Stanford game is like Navy-lite. If we lose it is embarrasing as hell now. They had a decent run, but that is done.

I don't mind getting UCLA on the schedule, we would never do home and home with sdsu.

 

[SportsingHard]

This is the back-end of the Home and Home deal signed in 88 or 89.

The last two matchups were at ND. Regarding the last game, in the first season after the death penalty,

"Not long after that the team was, the Associated Press later reported, "scared, almost terrified" to leave the locker room to play number-one-ranked Notre Dame on November 11, 1989. The Mustangs lost the game 59‍–‍6;[41] defensive coordinator Dale Lindsey said Notre Dame so badly outmatched SMU that "they could have beat us 156‍–‍0", and praised Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, who ordered the Irish to take multiple intentional delay of game penalties near the goal line to avoid scoring more touchdowns.[43]"

Southern Methodist University football scandal - Wikipedia

Also, reserve RB Rusty Setzer had a breakaway TD but took a left turn out of bounds at the five yard line.

 

[SportsingHard]

It is a weigh on our schedule. They are historically piss poor and add nothing. If we want California rotate UCLA, Stanford and SDSU. Stanford game is like Navy-lite. If we lose it is embarrasing as hell now. They had a decent run, but that is done.

From 1990 (a horrible game I attended where Watters or Ismail muffed seemingly every punt) to 2001, Stanford went 5-5 against ND.

Despite winning 5 of the last 6 games, ND still has a losing record over the last 15 games, as there was a stretch where Stanford went 7-2 (assuming we're not vacating ND wins.)

 

[IrishEyesAreSmiling]

Would love a random home and home with Nebraska again. Just due to my dads side of the family is diehard Nebraska fans and would just be fun household between ND and Nebraska and its been 20+ years

 

[FWIrish4]

Is Clemson not one of the five ACC games? Having Clemson AND Stanford AND five ACC games would be way too much ACC.

Yes, this was something I was complaining about in the summer when we had nothing else going on. The ACC seems to be really trying to squeeze ND here.

This is what I don’t understand. As part of their new tv deal, the ACC let it be publicly known that ND will play 2/3 of Clemson, FSU and Miami every year.

So ND and Clemson make their own deal and now the ACC claims those games won’t count towards our 1/5 commitment per year.

ND didn’t choose a 7th game against the ACC.

The ACC wanted this to happen, Clemson and ND made it happen on their own, and now the ACC wants another free ND game against its conference every couple of years.

https://www.irishenvy.com/threads/general-team-info.67907/post-3480352

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

From 1990 (a horrible game I attended where Watters or Ismail muffed seemingly every punt) to 2001, Stanford went 5-5 afainst ND.

Despite winning 5 of the last 6 games, ND still has a losing record over the last 15 games, as there was a stretch where Stanford went 7-2 (assuming we're not vacating ND wins.)

And? Still hate the game. It adds nothing to our schedule minus a Cali trip. I would rather play in Texas.

 

[SportsingHard]

And? Still hate the game. It adds nothing to our schedule minus a Cali trip. I would rather play in Texas.

I suppose you're right, losing can be embarassing, but that was a lot of shade for a program that owns ND so often.