Notre Dame football: The best schedule never played

Game 1: At Auburn:

It’s amazing that two of the greatest programs in college football history have never met. Auburn is 13th all-time in wins, 5th in Heisman winners and has spent 583 weeks in the AP Poll. We’ll put this game on the road to start the season because there’s another SEC opponent (spoiler alert) for the Notre Dame football team to finish the season against.

Game 2: Buffalo:

Okay, maybe a little bias here, but there is logic behind this. Notre Dame seems to like early season MACtion, with four MAC opponents over the last decade and two more to come in the next few year. Buffalo’s been a respectable program over the last few years and while they wouldn’t help the strength of schedule, it definitely wouldn’t hurt it either.

Game 3: University of Central Florida (UCF):

One of the best Group of Five teams in the last three seasons, the self-proclaimed 2017 National Champions (they weren’t) have defeated the likes of Auburn, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Stanford. UCF even played tough against LSU in an 8-point loss in 2018. The Knights like the “anyone, anywhere” mantra and a game at Notre Dame stadium could benefit both programs.

Game 4: At Texas Tech:

The Red Raiders may not be as good as they were when Mike Leach was roaming the sidelines, but they usually feature an exciting offense at minimum. Similar to the triple option in that the style of offense can cause headaches for opposing defenses. Texas Tech’s air raid offense produces some insane numbers. This style of play has led to shootouts with elite teams like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Houston just to name a few. Although this is slightly changing to a more conventional offense under Matt Wells, if you’re a fan of offense, this would be a real fun game.