The Optimal Notre Dame Scheduling Model

[GowerND11]

Well I would argue this year was not set up well at all. Michigan State was complete overkill. They weren't actually good but no one would have predicted that when we scheduled them. Miami and Virginia Tech were big enough names that along with Stanford and USC we would have easily gotten in if undefeated. Why play Michigan St. instead of say Toledo? The committee is just looking for teams that don't play a Western Michigan schedule. Oklahoma is a perfect example of shooting themselves in the foot. Played 2 tough OOC games and gained nothing for it. Had they scheduled Tulsa and Arizona or something, they would have been an undefeated playoff team right now. End of story.

Absolutely agreed. Yeah it's great if you manage to get through that schedule (ours or OU) undefeated, but that is a massive risk. Instead, especially as an independent, we should be looking at the best way to maximize our brand during the season. We get 5 games with the ACC. Usually that includes 2-3 very winnable games (at least, they should be) and another 2-3 mix of winnable to tough games. Couple that with USC and Stanford and we have a very decent, essentially conference, schedule. Navy will always be on so there is 8 games. Couple that with Army or Air Force sometimes, an AAC team, a MAC, and maybe even a Mountain West team. Boom very manageable 12 game season.

 

[ACamp1900]

Absolutely agreed. Yeah it's great if you manage to get through that schedule (ours or OU) undefeated, but that is a massive risk. Instead, especially as an independent, we should be looking at the best way to maximize our brand during the season. We get 5 games with the ACC. Usually that includes 2-3 very winnable games (at least, they should be) and another 2-3 mix of winnable to tough games. Couple that with USC and Stanford and we have a very decent, essentially conference, schedule. Navy will always be on so there is 8 games. Couple that with Army or Air Force sometimes, an AAC team, a MAC, and maybe even a Mountain West team. Boom very manageable 12 game season.

This makes too much sense... instead let's Schedule UGA, Michigan, Texas, Bama and Ohio State,... then get all pissy when, " Norte Dame can't win titles anymore"...

 

[gkIrish]

This makes too much sense... instead let's Schedule UGA, Michigan, Texas, Bama and Ohio State,... then get all pissy when, " Norte Dame can't win titles anymore"...

There are a contingent of fans that would rather play a top 10 team every week and go 4-8. It's just true. I think they are crazy.

 

[beryirish]

I was happy when i saw ND schedule Toledo and Bowling Green.

Not because I went to Toledo and partied in BG but because they aren't top tier programs that ND seems to try and schedule every week. The USC/Stanford rivalry along with the ACC schedule and the rest can be these types of teams. Maybe once every other year have a home and home with another power.

Those big powers that ND gets - Georgia/Texas/Ohio State are cool but with the schedule that they go through already, i'd rather see ND face them in a bowl.

 

[ACamp1900]

There are a contingent of fans that would rather play a top 10 team every week and go 4-8. It's just true. I think they are crazy.

I think they should be freaking banned and stripped of their ND fan-hood forever... basically, they deserve a paddlin.

 

[GowerND11]

There are a contingent of fans that would rather play a top 10 team every week and go 4-8. It's just true. I think they are crazy.

With the way our schedule could be worked, we could play top 15 teams consistently in 6 out of 12 weeks. Odds are in favor of at least 2-3 ACC teams being ranked, USC and Stanford too. Couple all that with a Navy in the 20s and that's 6 quality opponents in the rankings.

 

[Domina Nostra]

ND creates a schedule based on:

1) Traditional rivalries (USC, Navy, and ussually Mich St. and/or Mich)
2) ACC contract
3) A desire to sell-out all home games (no one wants to spend $200 to watch us play Toledo!)
3) A desire to say we only play FBS-1 opponents.,

While Nevada is a cake walk, it is nothing like playing Kent State or Chatanooga. It takes a week of real preparation and game day execution, even if you can win sloppy.

Those are 2 wins per year per team in games where you stay healthy, work out some kinks, and get rest without getting too much rest. They make all the coaches winning percentages look better than they really are. They make it much easier to get to the playoffs.

So I think people need to keep those games in mind when they talk about the win percentages of some other coaches.

Kelly needs to go, but those kind of schedules wear on you. OSU actually played a ND like schedule this year and, lo and behold, they lost to Penn State! So did Michigan and they lost to Iowa!

 

[beryirish]

ND creates a schedule based on:

1) Traditional rivalries (USC, Navy, and ussually Mich St. and/or Mich)
2) ACC contract
3) A desire to sell-out all home games (no one wants to spend $200 to watch us play Toledo!)
3) A desire to say we only play FBS-1 opponents.,

While Nevada is a cake walk, it is nothing like playing Kent State or Chatanooga. It takes a week of real preparation and game day execution, even if you can win sloppy.

Those are 2 wins per year per team in games where you stay healthy, work out some kinks, and get rest without getting too much rest. They make all the coaches winning percentages look better than they really are. They make it much easier to get to the playoffs.

So I think people need to keep those games in mind when they talk about the win percentages of some other coaches.

Kelly needs to go, but those kind of schedules wear on you. OSU actually played a ND like schedule this year and, lo and behold, they lost to Penn State! So did Michigan and they lost to Iowa!

I'll be there with my ND gear and UT hat.

 

[Domina Nostra]

I'll be there with my ND gear and UT hat.

Go Rockets!

Living in Alabama, I can attest to the fact that people will indeed flock to watch their boys whip up on some inferior opponent.

 

[dublinirish]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Notre Dame, Purdue officials discussing renewing series | Local Sports | goshennews.com

 

[phork]

I am all for scheduling patsies, outside of USC, Stanford & Navy.

 

[kmoose]

ND creates a schedule based on:

1) Traditional rivalries (USC, Navy, and ussually Mich St. and/or Mich)
2) ACC contract
3) A desire to sell-out all home games (no one wants to spend $200 to watch us play Toledo!)
3) A desire to say we only play FBS-1 opponents.,

While Nevada is a cake walk, it is nothing like playing Kent State or Chatanooga. It takes a week of real preparation and game day execution, even if you can win sloppy.

Those are 2 wins per year per team in games where you stay healthy, work out some kinks, and get rest without getting too much rest. They make all the coaches winning percentages look better than they really are. They make it much easier to get to the playoffs.

So I think people need to keep those games in mind when they talk about the win percentages of some other coaches.

Kelly needs to go, but those kind of schedules wear on you. OSU actually played a ND like schedule this year and, lo and behold, they lost to Penn State! So did Michigan and they lost to Iowa!

Au contraire, mon frere! There are a TON of people that would make the 150 mile trip from Toledo to South Bend, to see a game in Notre Dame Stadium.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Au contraire, mon frere! There are a TON of people that would make the 150 mile trip from Toledo to South Bend, to see a game in Notre Dame Stadium.

<----

 

[ACamp1900]

I would much rather spend my money on a game that I know Notre Dame is more likely to win... I don't give a flying feck about the opponent beyond that.

 

[irishtrain]

I cant believe all this scheduling nonsense, man what has happened here to my Notre Dame. The issue should be are you going to compete with modern college football or are you just selling a product. If you are just selling a product then sell it ,join a lesser conference, live in the past, have you game day picnic, celebrate the student athlete but don't put the fan base thru this charade any longer. I'm not sure there still wouldn't be a network who would still want Notre Dame even if was playing in the MAC. Look at the coaching hires and what the university is telling you-understand what's going on here. Football is not important. I'm ok with that just say it-football is not important- we don't want to compete with modern semi pro college football . But don't try to play a game and try to massage your way to a decent year by tricks in scheduling. The players are no longer there to play a year in year out old style Notre Dame schedule. Notre Dame will always have interested viewers no matter what their schedule looks like. People around the country know whats going on at Ala/OSU/MICH/FSU/etc that ship has sailed.

 

[GowerND11]

I cant believe all this scheduling nonsense, man what has happened here to my Notre Dame. The issue should be are you going to compete with modern college football or are you just selling a product. If you are just selling a product then sell it ,join a lesser conference, live in the past, have you game day picnic, celebrate the student athlete but don't put the fan base thru this charade any longer. I'm not sure there still wouldn't be a network who would still want Notre Dame even if was playing in the MAC. Look at the coaching hires and what the university is telling you-understand what's going on here. Football is not important. I'm ok with that just say it-football is not important- we don't want to compete with modern semi pro college football . But don't try to play a game and try to massage your way to a decent year by tricks in scheduling. The players are no longer there to play a year in year out old style Notre Dame schedule. Notre Dame will always have interested viewers no matter what their schedule looks like. People around the country know whats going on at Ala/OSU/MICH/FSU/etc that ship has sailed.

And all of those teams play absolute cupcakes in OOC. Alabama always schedules a 1-AA team every year right before LSU or another big conference game late in the year. FSU played a 1-AA team as well. This isn't about doing tricks with the schedule, it's about making a schedule that sets us up for success. We have no need to play 8 top 10 teams in a year. It's suicide (most of the time) for any team to do.

 

[Legacy]

Notre Dame football announces 2017 home game times, 2018, 2019 schedules (Chi Trib)

Notre Dame's 2018-19 Football Schedules Released Officially (Blue and Gold, Lou Somogyi)

Notre Dame released the football schedules it will play in 2018-19, and they check pretty much all the boxes that Fighting Irish vice president and director of athletics Jack Swarbrick has outlined.

First, four of the five Power 5 Conferences are represented, including Vanderbilt (2018) and Georgia (2019) from the SEC and Michigan (2018-19) and Northwestern (2018) in the Big Ten. The Pac-12 always is on the standard fare with mainstays USC and Stanford, while the ACC usually will have five because of Notre Dame’s partial football membership in the league. Only the Big XII is not on the slate.

With Notre Dame a football independent, Swarbrick has maintained that it is imperative the Irish have a broad representation on the schedule to provide the Playoff committee data on how it matches up in the Power 5.

Second, both schedules have seven home games, although one from each season could be moved to a different venue for a Shamrock Series outing.

Third, the bye week continues to appear in the middle of October, coinciding with fall semester break. That is deemed the ideal time to decompress a bit from both academics and football before taking on the second half of the slate. A second bye — which Swarbrick wishes he could do regularly — was added in 2019 because the opener at Louisville is on Labor Day (Sept. 2), thereby prompting an off Saturday five days later.

Fourth, some equilibrium was added with Ball State in 2018 and then New Mexico — coached by 1997-2001 Fighting Irish head coach Bob Davie — and Bowling Green in 2019. ...

 

[NDVirginia19]

If you told me what the first 5 games of 2019 would be back in 2012 I would've laughed, it's a funny looking slate of games

 

[Crazy Balki]

I love the first half of 2018's schedule, but I despise the 2nd half.

Starting with Michigan is tough, but you get that out of the way. You win, it's a great momentum builder and helps your resume. You lose, you have a lot of time to recover and then you have 3 games that you should win comfortably.

Then those final 5 games...Christ, who green-lit this? Navy in San Diego, then Northwestern in Chicago, Florida State and Syracuse back-to-back homestands and then back west for USC. I'm willing to wager that ND will travel more in those 5 games than practically every P-5 school will travel all season.

 

[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash">#NotreDame</a> will play 5 ACC football games annually from 2026 through 2037 which include 5 vs <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Clemson?src=hash">#Clemson</a> & 5 vs <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FSU?src=hash">#FSU</a> during that stretch.</p>— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/BruceFeldmanCFB/status/862671585177608192">May 11, 2017</a></blockquote><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Got plans for the fall in, like, 20 years?<br><br>If not, here's the ACC schedule for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash">#NotreDame</a> from 2026 to 2037. <a href="https://t.co/K6sZ9uK1sm">pic.twitter.com/K6sZ9uK1sm</a></p>— Brian Hamilton (@BrianHamiltonSI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianHamiltonSI/status/862671329547440129">May 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NotreDame and the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ACC?src=hash">#ACC</a> released future games in 2026-2037 on Thursday morning. <a href="https://t.co/c8cDTcpgMC">https://t.co/c8cDTcpgMC</a> <a href="https://t.co/xqxT2C8tSH">pic.twitter.com/xqxT2C8tSH</a></p>— Matt Freeman (@mattfreemanISD) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattfreemanISD/status/862671766321287169">May 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some interesting matchups for future Notre Dame head coach Mike Sanford here. <a href="https://t.co/lYAMVjgks7">https://t.co/lYAMVjgks7</a></p>— Irish Illustrated (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/862673450741223426">May 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Irishize]

I wish they'd tell Navy that they want to maintain their commitment to playing every season but that it needs to be the first game every year due to ACC commitments & other historical rivalries. I think that's a fair compromise.

 

[BobbyMac]

I wish they'd tell Navy that they want to maintain their commitment to playing every season but that it needs to be the first game every year due to ACC commitments & other historical rivalries. I think that's a fair compromise.

I'd go last game of the season so you have a month to recover from the rolled up knees and ankles.

 

[BobbyMac]

Easy to use tweet breaking it down per opponent.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Future matchups between <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ACCFootball?src=hash">#ACCFootball</a> teams and <a href="https://twitter.com/NDFootball">@NDFootball</a> announced: <a href="https://t.co/LdDmVxghpC">https://t.co/LdDmVxghpC</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y5GAVJdGXM">pic.twitter.com/Y5GAVJdGXM</a></p>— The ACC (@theACC) <a href="https://twitter.com/theACC/status/862675107382210560">May 11, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[BobbyMac]

A comprehensive spread sheet on every ND football game scheduled at this time.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...4DYxig-gPunJUkQrSOTGmqTiSY/edit#gid=887569558

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I've compiled what we know regarding <a href="https://twitter.com/NDFootball">@NDFootball</a> schedules through 2037 in a single spreadsheet: <a href="https://t.co/gSrLr2lEHs">https://t.co/gSrLr2lEHs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NDFB?src=hash">#NDFB</a></p>— Jude (@andrewwinn) <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewwinn/status/862689460030513152">May 11, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[gkIrish]

The 2018 schedule makes me want to cry.

 

[Henges24]

Referees will no longer be apart of the game. They are at least not on the field by 2037.

 

[Shamrock Theories]

The 2018 schedule makes me want to cry.

At least the road slate is manageable, and we get 2 weeks to prep for Navy

But Yeesh. Home dates against Michigan, Stanford and FSU

 

[NorthDakota]

The 2018 schedule makes me want to cry.

Why tho??

 

[BobbyMac]

By the end of the Roaring 2.0's, ND will be one of 10 teams in the Western Division of the Northern Conference. Those 20 teams will be joined by 20 teams in each of the Eastern, Southern and Western Conferences to make up the PCFA, an 80 team middle finger to the NCAA.