Notre Dame 2026

[Footballking16]

Hmmmm

 

[Bash Riprock]

1 hour ago, Footballking16 said:

Hmmmm

 

Just read same. Link to entire article. Click on it below. 👇
 

 

[PDB26]

19 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

Just read same. Link to entire article. Click on it below. 👇
 

 

Tough look for ND. I wonder how the 2026 game being in week 12 factored into the decision. Still, you can’t say anytime, anywhere and then expect that to not be thrown in your face.

Ideally, ND would have taken SC in week 0 and BYU on a two year deal to fill the rotating spot vacated by SC, and then dropped Rice or found a way out of the Stanford game.

Edited December 29, 2025 by PDB26

[Komets2727]

It’s just Notre Dame doing Notre Dame things. Spin control is not a lost art in South Bend. Apparently, neither is lying…

Edited December 29, 2025 by Komets2727

[Bash Riprock]

18 minutes ago, PDB26 said:

Tough look for ND. I wonder how the 2026 game being in week 12 factored into the decision. Still, you can’t say anytime, anywhere and then expect that to not be thrown in your face.

Ideally, ND would have taken SC in week 0 and BYU on a two year deal to fill the rotating spot vacated by SC, and then dropped Rice or found a way out of the Stanford game.

Looks like Stanford game next year is tentative and beyond is questionable 

[23andCounting]

Not saying it didn't happen, but it would nice to see the actual quote of "we'll play you anytime anywhere." Who said that? Right now we just have Lincoln Riley making a claim that their director of athletics was told by, someone, that they'd play us anytime anywhere. Need a bit more here. 

All we know is that USC had more reasons to want to end this than Notre Dame did. Sounds like Lincoln Riley is trying to spin this to make it look like it was all Notre Dame's doing. Gotta love the drama. 

[Bash Riprock]

3 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Not saying it didn't happen, but it would nice to see the actual quote of "we'll play you anytime anywhere." Who said that? Right now we just have Lincoln Riley making a claim that their director of athletics was told by, someone, that they'd play us anytime anywhere. Need a bit more here. 

All we know is that USC had more reasons to want to end this than Notre Dame did. Sounds like Lincoln Riley is trying to spin this to make it look like it was all Notre Dame's doing. Gotta love the drama. 

Having BYU lined up to replace SC almost immediately is tough for ND to explain. Definitely had a plan 

[23andCounting]

1 minute ago, Bash Riprock said:

Having BYU lined up to replace SC almost immediately is tough for ND to explain. Definitely had a plan 

Of course they had a plan. It would be irresponsible if they didn't. 

Notre Dame has beaten USC seven of the last eight and USC is arguably their best opponent right now. I'm sure Notre Dame had their reason for not taking a deal in this. All we are doing here is speculating. Who really knows. I do know this though.........Notre Dame isn't stupid. Everything they do is strategic. 

[Footballking16]

6 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Of course they had a plan. It would be irresponsible if they didn't. 

Notre Dame has beaten USC seven of the last eight and USC is arguably their best opponent right now. I'm sure Notre Dame had their reason for not taking a deal in this. All we are doing here is speculating. Who really knows. I do know this though.........Notre Dame isn't stupid. Everything they do is strategic. 

I'd saying opting out of a game with the potential best team on your schedule next year is certainly something, especially when you were left out this year because you didn't beat anybody. Notre Dame needs SC much more than SC needs Notre Dame, whether or not the Irish are willing to admit that. Sounds like SC was trying to do them a favor.

[23andCounting]

3 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

I'd saying opting out of a game with the potential best team on your schedule next year is certainly something, especially when you were left out this year because you didn't beat anybody. Notre Dame needs SC much more than SC needs Notre Dame, whether or not the Irish are willing to admit that. Sounds like SC was trying to do them a favor.

Doesn't make sense. All the more reason to believe there was an underlying reason that we don't know all the details of. Sorry, I just can't go by a post on social media by a coach saying "someone said." Or maybe someone did say "anyplace, anytime." Then when sitting at the negotiating table, changed there mind and said "go pound sand." Again, all speculation. 

[Footballking16]

3 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Doesn't make sense. All the more reason to believe there was an underlying reason that we don't know all the details of. Sorry, I just can't go by a post on social media by a coach saying "someone said." Or maybe someone did say "anyplace, anytime." Then when sitting at the negotiating table, changed there mind and said "go pound sand." Again, all speculation. 

Has anyone from Notre Dame or the national media refuted this? Are we calling Riley and SC's athletic department liars?

[23andCounting]

2 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

Has anyone from Notre Dame or the national media refuted this? Are we calling Riley and SC's athletic department liars?

I dunno. What's done is done. I don't care enough about about it to do any digging. Currently just celebrating the retention of our head coach. And honestly? Who cares if "someone" said "anyplace, anytime." Go to the negotiating table and all bets are off. 

[PDB26]

25 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

Looks like Stanford game next year is tentative and beyond is questionable 

Yeah, that one has been on life-support for a couple years now.

I don’t think it’s hard to explain a contingency plan one way or the other. Maybe SC wanted or needed to move both years to week 0 and ND needed 2026 to be week 12 because they couldn’t make the rest of the schedule work. Or maybe ND looked at SC’s schedule and saw a three or four loss team in a year where the schedule is already so so bad. Either way, I’m disappointed and really expected ND’s AD to get this one done.

[Footballking16]

10 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

I dunno. What's done is done. I don't care enough about about it to do any digging. Currently just celebrating the retention of our head coach. And honestly? Who cares if "someone" said "anyplace, anytime." Go to the negotiating table and all bets are off. 

Well the narrative last week was that USC was ducking Notre Dame. 

[23andCounting]

9 minutes ago, PDB26 said:

Yeah, that one has been on life-support for a couple years now.

I don’t think it’s hard to explain a contingency plan one way or the other. Maybe SC wanted or needed to move both years to week 0 and ND needed 2026 to be week 12 because they couldn’t make the rest of the schedule work. Or maybe ND looked at SC’s schedule and saw a three or four loss team in a year where the schedule is already so so bad. Either way, I’m disappointed and really expected ND’s AD to get this one done.

Hard to be disappointed in the AD without sitting in on the meeting. 

[23andCounting]

1 minute ago, Footballking16 said:

Well the narrative last week was that USC was ducking Notre Dame. 

Maybe that's why this week they are hell bent on it being ND's fault to save face. At least there is some transparency their end. At the end of the day we all know that USC doesn't need Notre Dame now that they are in the Big 10. In fact, I think having ND on their schedule is way too risky if their goal is to make the CFPS. 

[Bash Riprock]

Good news for the Irish ☘️ 

 

[PDB26]

30 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Hard to be disappointed in the AD without sitting in on the meeting. 

If there was a deal for two week 0 games on campus, then there is plenty of reason to be disappointed. If there was a deal for a week 0 neutral site game, then there is still reason to be disappointed. The Navy rivalry is nice and should be played, but the SC rivalry matters. As I said before, week 0 with SC, week 12 with BYU, and find a way out of Rice or Stanford.

[23andCounting]

7 minutes ago, PDB26 said:

If there was a deal for two week 0 games on campus, then there is plenty of reason to be disappointed. If there was a deal for a week 0 neutral site game, then there is still reason to be disappointed. The Navy rivalry is nice and should be played, but the SC rivalry matters. As I said before, week 0 with SC, week 12 with BYU, and find a way out of Rice or Stanford.

Doesn't sound like there was ever a deal, just hearsay. Not sure to be honest. Haven't been following. Just hoping some of these teams on Notre Dame's schedule have an up season. 

[23andCounting]

Notre Dame's schedule for 2026 is looking pretty pitiful. To their defense though, Wisconsin and Michigan State were pretty good football teams back when they scheduled them. It could very well be that Miami is the only ranked team on their schedule. Maybe BYU. They have Miami at home, so an undefeated season looks probable. They might be able to afford one slip up. Two losses with that schedule would be a 100% no.

[Komets2727]

2 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Notre Dame's schedule for 2026 is looking pretty pitiful. To their defense though, Wisconsin and Michigan State were pretty good football teams back when they scheduled them. It could very well be that Miami is the only ranked team on their schedule. Maybe BYU. They have Miami at home, so an undefeated season looks probable. They might be able to afford one slip up. Two losses with that schedule would be a 100% no.

My dude, appreciate the honesty, but the schedule has been pitiful for awhile. Even if they go undefeated, which is likely against that creampuff schedule, strength of schedule is going to be epically bad. 

[23andCounting]

10 hours ago, Komets2727 said:

My dude, appreciate the honesty, but the schedule has been pitiful for awhile. Even if they go undefeated, which is likely against that creampuff schedule, strength of schedule is going to be epically bad. 

Not sure strength of schedule means a whole lot. Was Notre Dames SOS bad last year? All they did was go into the playoffs and beat IU, Georgia, and Penn State. 

[Bash Riprock]

1 hour ago, 23andCounting said:

Not sure strength of schedule means a whole lot. Was Notre Dames SOS bad last year? All they did was go into the playoffs and beat IU, Georgia, and Penn State. 

ND had a much stronger SOS in 2024 (4) vs 2025 (44) according to ESPN. 
 

You can search ESPN FPI and will allow you to compare by year. 

[Bobref]

22 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

ND had a much stronger SOS in 2024 (4) vs 2025 (44) according to ESPN. 
 

You can search ESPN FPI and will allow you to compare by year. 

What was the regular season SOS? Because if that #4 in 2024 was the final score at the end of the season, it was greatly influenced by playing Indiana, Georgia, Penn St. and Ohio State in the playoffs.

[Bash Riprock]

1 hour ago, Bobref said:

What was the regular season SOS? Because if that #4 in 2024 was the final score at the end of the season, it was greatly influenced by playing Indiana, Georgia, Penn St. and Ohio State in the playoffs.

That is a great and fair question.  I thought the SOS calculation ended after the regular season, given its part of the equation for SOR and ultimately selection for the playoffs.  Below is the link to ESPN rankings with SOS.  For 2025, ND has a 13 ranking for SOR, and a 44 ranking for SOS.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/fpi/_/view/resume

For 2024, ND has a SOR of 3, with a SOS of 4.  (use the same source above and change the year to 2024) They do not state how many games, so I do think you may be correct, in that for the playoff teams, it includes those opponents as well.  I didn't do a ton of research, and as Irishman has pointed out, some question of accuracy with Google AI, but it is saying a regular season SOR of 50-65.  (see below)  But I am not sure if Sagarin and others calculate SOS in the same fashion as ESPN.  But, you may be correct and I am not sure how to go back to ESPN to get SOS for only the regular season.  (if it does indeed include all post season games)  So, your point may be valid that the regular season ND SOS for both 2024 and 2025 may be similar, with a slight improvement in 2025.  Note for 2025, ESPN has Wisconsin with the #1 SOS and of all P4 playoff teams, Bama has the best at 6 and Texas Tech as the worst with 54.  Note Miami and Ole Miss also have SOS scores +40.