Notre Dame Football: Ranking the Difficulty of the Remaining Games

Notre Dame football is 7-0 and appears to control its own College Football Playoff destiny. To punch a ticket to college football’s final four, the Irish will need to navigate a tricky slate of five games.

The rollercoaster season of Notre Dame football has come to a temporary stop this week, as the Irish are set to enjoy what appear to be a much-needed bye. They’ve taken down playoff contenders, Top 25 teams and conquered tough road environments. They’ve also had a couple of head-scratchers that could have easily been losses to inferior teams.

With a break in the action, it’s time to look at the remaining five games on the 2018 Notre Dame football schedule and rank them from easiest (if there is such a thing) to most difficult.

5. Nov. 3 at Northwestern

Yeah, that’s where we’re at. After just talking about how the strength of schedule was not what we all thought it would be, now we are looking at a trip to Evanston as the easiest remaining game on the slate. The Wildcats are currently 3-3 with a win over Michigan State and a tough showing against Michigan in the Big House. If Ryan Field gave Northwestern more of a homefield advantage, this game would be higher on the list. As it stands, there’s a good chance that there will be more Irish fans than Northwestern fans in the building at kickoff. They’ll need to be loud help the Irish deal with a well-coached team lead by a quarterback who will play on Sundays.

4. Oct. 27 vs. Navy (in San Diego)

Navy always brings its best effort against the Irish. They are always disciplined and are a difficult team to prepare for due to their unique offensive scheme. The neutral site doesn’t help matters, but keep in mind that Navy will actually travel farther to play in this one. From a talent standpoint, Notre Dame should be able to dominate. But as we’ve seen in the past, this game isn’t about talent.

3. Nov. 17 vs. Syracuse (at Yankee Stadium)

I don’t know many Irish fans who feel good about this one. From the neutral site, the layout of the field, the questionable alternative uniforms and the proximity of the opposing school (a four hour drive), there’s plenty not to like about this matchup. And that’s before you take into account that the Irish are facing one of the top offensive minds in the game in Syracuse head coach Dino Babers and one of the most dangerous players in the country in quarterback Eric Dungey.

2. Nov. 10 vs. Florida State

No, these are not your father’s Seminoles, but they are arguably the most athletically comparable team the Irish will face from here on out. The game will be played in primetime, with Florida State having nothing to lose and a huge win toward bowl eligibility to gain. The Seminoles have yet to lose to a “bad” football team, and nearly knocked off the Miami Hurricanes a couple of weeks ago. They’d love to play the role of “spoiler” on a national stage.

1. Nov. 24 at Southern Cal

The rivalry. The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh. After a couple of early losses to some decent teams, USC seems to have righted the ship. A ten-win season is not out of the question for the Trojans. Their defense has been playing very well, and like Florida State, USC has the athletes to run with the Irish. And let’s not forget the game being played between the ears of the Notre Dame players. The magnitude of this game — should the Irish be unbeaten — will not be lost of them. Win and you’re in — it’s that simple. Can they handle the pressure?