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In 2025, Notre Dame went 10-2, but missed the College Football Playoffs. After missing out on the playoffs, Notre Dame felt snubbed and opted out of a bowl game.
Now, the Irish look to make the playoffs in 2026, and the schedule could make for a situation in which they can earn a berth, according to Bill Connelly of ESPN.
“If they’re a second-half (of the season) team. Notre Dame’s 2025 schedule was unfortunate in a couple of different ways. Not only did it feature just a pair of particularly CFP-worthy games, but those games also showed up in the first two weeks of the season, when coach Marcus Freeman was breaking in a new quarterback (CJ Carr) and defensive coordinator (Chris Ash). Carr took one week to get up to speed, Ash needed two, and by that point, the Irish were 0-2. Even while playing like a top-five team the rest of the way, they eventually couldn’t make up for that unfortunate start,” Connelly wrote.
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Notre Dame opened up the season 0-2, after losing on the road to Miami 27-24, and then Texas A&M at home, 41-40. They would then go on a ten-game winning streak, but faced just two ranked opponents in the process.
This season, Notre Dame opens up against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. They then get to ease into the rest of the schedule, with games aganst Rice and Michigan State at home, before road contests against Purdue and North Carolina. The Irish will be favored in each of those games and are expected not to have a major test until November 7. That is when they will face Miami at home.
While the schedule overall is fairly weak, it would be hard for a 12-0 team to miss the playoffs.
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