As a playoff contender, Notre Dame’s 2024 schedule is…manageable.
It's not without its landmines, but it's not the same challenge that certain Big Ten or SEC schools will face this year.
The Fighting Irish should be favored by double digits in at least half of their games, with the added bonus of playing Florida State and Louisville in South Bend. North Dakota is capable of dominating this schedule, but their road games opening at Texas A&M and closing at USC pose a serious threat to win it all.
Here's how the schedule looks from easiest to hardest: Here's a ranking of Notre Dame's games in 2024.
The Irish have never lost to a current MAC team and that trend will likely continue in the home opener. The Husky D is underrated, but there is a chance the offense will generate more punts than points in Week 2.
Navy is a team to be reckoned with, but the Irish have won six straight in the series, including a 42-3 victory over the Irish last year, and with Brian Newberry completing his first year, the defense now has veteran leaders at every level, which should make the midfield more competitive.
Notre Dame has won 15 straight games against Army, allowing fewer than six points per game during that time, and running the ball at Yankee Stadium won't be easy for the Black Knights in 2023, when their trademark ground game has been inconsistent.
The Redhawks are the defending MAC champions with an 11-3 record in coach Chuck Martin's 10th season at the school. Miami isn't typically a giant-killer, but it has always had a good coaching staff, a solid defense and returns sixth-year quarterback Brett Gabbert.
Tony Elliott has three wins in each of his first two seasons, so he could be under pressure if things don't turn around, and the Hoos offensive line has thin depth and will have its hands full trying to keep the Irish front seven out of the backfield.
The Cardinal will be improved from last year, when Notre Dame rolled into Stanford Stadium and won in a dominant 56-23 victory, but it won't be enough, especially since the strength of Stanford's wide receivers could be neutralized by the Irish secondary.
Notre Dame has dominated its in-state rivals recently, winning eight straight games by an average of nearly two touchdowns per game. Purdue went 4-8 last year and suffered a tough loss after losing its best defender and top three wide receivers.
A trip to Atlanta is risky — Brent Key has the Yellow Jackets heading north with a balanced and explosive offensive line led by Haynes King — but the Irish should be able to keep it away against a Tech D that was awful against the run last year.
It took Jeff Brohm a year to win 10 games, clinch an ACC berth and challenge portal king Lane Kiffin. The Cardinals beat North Dakota 33-20 last year and have the talent and depth to win two straight if injury-prone QB Tyler Shaw plays to his potential.
Notre Dame will start the season with a tough road test. Kyle Field will be packed (as always) as the Aggies enter the Mike Elko era. A&M has a ton of up-and-coming players, and the defensive line will be a big problem for the Irish. It will be interesting to see how new QB Riley Leonard handles the pressure of this situation.
Troy will be looking to avenge a 48-20 loss at South Bend last year, and for the first time since 2020, Lincoln Riley will not be starting quarterback Caleb Williams. But the bigger issue will be fixing a historically poor defense that has allowed an average of 34.4 points per game.
The Noles might be ND's only preseason ranked opponent, so it'd be nice for the Irish to host them… and they're coming off a bye week. Mike Norvell has Florida State back in national title contention, but staying there may depend on the play of former Clemson and Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei.
