The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program is currently in the middle of the spring practice period with the Blue-Gold Game as the finale on April 25. So, this offseason is moving along quite nicely, but the conversation has been mostly a predictable mix of optimism and sturdy defense.
Notre Dame has generally been brutalized by college football fans for its 2026 schedule. In fairness to the “haters” out there, it’s not a great schedule. It’s not a great schedule on paper — right now. Things can certainly change and preseason expectations for teams can be turned upside down as we see every year.
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According to just about anyone with a pulse, it’s a two team schedule for the Irish in 2026. Notre Dame goes on the road to take on BYU in the middle of October, and they welcome the Miami Hurricanes in the first week of November. Notre Dame is still likely to be favorites on both of those games, but those are the two toughest games on the schedule with SP+ rankings of #8 for Miami and #18 for BYU.
So… what’s the third toughest game?
The next three highest ranked teams according to SP+ are the SMU Mustangs (28), North Carolina Tar Heels (54) and the Wisconsin Badgers (61). Will SMU actually be the third toughest game on this schedule, or will there be a tougher opponent the Irish will face?
While I definitely don’t disagree with SMU (a program that played in the ACC Championship game in 2024 and beat Miami in 2025) I do think there could be a chance for UNC, Wisconsin, and maybe even Michigan State to give the Irish a tough game. This is college football after all, and weird things can (and do) happen.
What do you think? Will SMU be Notre Dame’s third toughest game in 2026, or will another team on the schedule put up a better fight? Sound off in the comments below.