Notre Dame's 2026 Football Schedule Among Country's Easiest

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Holleran | Last updated Jul 12, 2026 10:11 AM ET

Notre Dame missed out on the College Football Playoff last season, but the Fighting Irish are hoping to bounce back in a major way in 2026.

Head coach Marcus Freeman is confident that he's put together a group capable of competing for a championship. The Fighting Irish return a ton of talent, including quarterback C.J. Carr, and should contend for not only a College Football Playoff spot, but a top seed.

ESPN's Football Power Index seems to agree. The Fighting Irish come in at No. 3 overall in the ESPN computer rankings for 2026, trailing just Ohio State and Texas.

Oct 18, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with quarterback CJ Carr (13) during the first half against the Southern California Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Notre Dame's schedule looks quite favorable, too.

Complete 2026 Notre Dame football schedule

vs. Wisconsin
vs. Rice
vs. Michigan State
at Purdue
at UNC
vs. Stanford
at BYU
at Navy
vs. Miami
vs. Boston College
vs. SMU
at Syracuse

Outside of Miami, Notre Dame is not playing a team with serious College Football Playoff hopes heading into the 2026 season.

ESPN's Football Power Index ranks Notre Dame's 2026 schedule the 56th hardest schedule in the country for the year. The Fighting Irish have an easier schedule than teams like Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, among others.

College football powers like Ohio State, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, etc. all have top 10 to 15 schedules when it comes to difficulty.

But Notre Dame, which remains out of a conference for 2026, continues to skate by with relatively easy schedules, and nothing appears to be changing ahead of the upcoming college football regular season.

Is it finally time for Notre Dame to make a big switch?

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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