Notre Dame football schedule 2026: Ranking opponents on Irish's path to CFP redemption

The Fighting Irish's schedule sets up for a clean path to the College Football Playoff in the 2026 season

By Cody Nagel

Jan 23, 2026 at 2:43 pm ET • 5 min read

Getty Images

Notre Dame entered 2026 still smarting from last season's College Football Playoff snub. The Fighting Irish were passed over for the final at-large spot in favor of Miami, which went on to finish as the national runner-up. But this new year offers a chance for redemption, and the 2026 schedule aligns perfectly with the opportunity.

Only four true road games -- at BYU, North Carolina, Purdue and Syracuse -- and neutral-site matchups at Navy and Wisconsin limit travel, while most opponents are projected to be manageable for Marcus Freeman and his team.

With potential Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback CJ Carr returning, the Irish are the way-too-early favorites to win the national championship (+600) on FanDuel Sportsbook. Beginning this season, Notre Dame is also guaranteed an at-large bid in the field if it finishes anywhere inside the top 12 of the final CFP Rankings. While marquee matchups like Miami and SMU in November will provide real tests, the overall slate gives the Irish a clear structural advantage, setting up one of the cleanest paths to playoff contention the program has had in years.

Notre Dame football 2026 schedule

Sept. 6 Wisconsin (Green Bay)
Sept. 12 Rice
Sept. 19 Michigan State
Sept. 26 at Purdue
Oct. 3 at North Carolina
Oct. 10 Stanford
Oct. 17 at BYU
Oct. 31 at Navy (Foxborough)
Nov. 7 Miami
Nov. 14 Boston College
Nov. 21 SMU
Nov. 28 at Syracuse

So just how easy is the road in 2026? With limited travel, favorable matchups and only a few true tests on the slate, Notre Dame's schedule is built more for opportunity than survival. Here's a ranking of Notre Dame's 12 opponents, ordered from easiest to toughest heading into 2026.

12. Rice

There are only two Group of Six teams on the 2026 schedule for Notre Dame. The home-opener against Rice in Week 2 is just the second meeting between the two in the 21st century. The Fighting Irish are 5-0 all-time against the Owls, who are expected to return just four starters from this past season.

11. at Navy

The rivalry with Navy has been one-sided in recent years, with Notre Dame winning each of the last eight matchups, including the most recent three by an average of 38.3 points. The Midshipmen will turn to a new starting quarterback in 2026 following Blake Horvath's departure. Maybe the unpredictable conditions in Foxborough on Halloween will give Navy a small edge and keep the game interesting. Still, the Fighting Irish should avoid any scares.

10. at Purdue

The Boilermakers have struggled against top-tier competition, failing to beat an opponent that isn't FCS or Group of Six in 790 days. That drought will stretch past 1,000 days by the time Notre Dame heads to West Lafayette in late September. While Purdue has leaned on the transfer portal to add new talent, the gap between them and the Fighting Irish remains significant. Notre Dame enters with a 10‑game winning streak over Purdue.

9. at Syracuse

Remember the 70‑7 drubbing Notre Dame delivered to Syracuse this past season? That lopsided score was the Orange's worst loss in more than a century, dating back to the 1890s. Fran Brown will surely be looking for some measure of payback, but Notre Dame will enter the matchup with a massive psychological edge.

8. Boston College

Boston College enters a rebuild under third-year coach Bill O'Brien, with only five starters expected to return in 2026. Division II transfer quarterback Mason McKenzie could be dangerous if he adjusts to the FBS level, but heading into South Bend in mid-November -- when Notre Dame could be among the nation's top-ranked teams -- the Eagles will face an uphill battle to keep the game competitive.

7. at North Carolina

Year 1 of the Bill Belichick experiment was a rough introduction for the Tar Heels. While the second season could bring improvement, there's little reason to expect North Carolina will pose a serious threat. Notre Dame has dominated historically, holding a 21‑2 all-time record against UNC.

6. Stanford

Although Stanford brought in Tavita Pritchard as its new coach, the offseason has been relatively quiet in terms of roster turnover, with only six incoming transfers. That's partly because the Cardinal expect to return 11 starters and more than half of the players who logged at least 100 snaps last season. Notre Dame has dominated the series since Marcus Freeman's loss to Stanford in 2022, winning the next three matchups by a combined 154‑50.

5. Michigan State

Michigan State isn't expected to be a Big Ten contender just yet, but the arrival of Pat Fitzgerald as coach should inject some energy and toughness into the program. The Spartans will be the second of three Big Ten opponents Notre Dame faces in the 2026 regular season, and the only one in South Bend. It's also a bit of a renewed rivalry, meeting for the first time since 2017.

4. Wisconsin

For the sixth straight season, Notre Dame will open on the road, this time heading north to Green Bay to take on Wisconsin. The game shouldn't be overly daunting, but it carries an intriguing subplot: Marcus Freeman played under Luke Fickell at Ohio State and later coached alongside him at Cincinnati. That shared history adds an extra layer to the matchup as the Fighting Irish look to start 2026 strong.

3. SMU

SMU will actually be the third team on Brandon Marcello's way‑too‑early top 25 for 2026 that Notre Dame is scheduled to face next season. This matchup marks the first meeting between the two programs since 1989, when the Fighting Irish rolled to a 59‑6 win.

2. at BYU

Playing in Provo is always a tough test, and BYU enters 2026 with plenty of continuity, expected to return 14 starters from last season after it narrowly missed out on the CFP. The Cougars have proven dangerous against top competition, going 5‑1 vs. AP Top 25 teams over the past five seasons. Notre Dame has dominated the series in the 21st century, winning five of six matchups, with the lone loss coming on their most recent trip to Provo in 2004.

1. Miami

Notre Dame undoubtedly circled this matchup after being left out of the CFP. While the Hurricanes will have to navigate some key departures, the assumption that they will land Duke quarterback transfer Darian Mensah suggests they could maintain much of the firepower that carried them to a national runner-up finish in 2025. Miami won the last two meetings on its home turf, but this will be the first trip to South Bend in a decade, where Notre Dame's last loss to the Hurricanes came in 1984.