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Notre Dame Football: Candidates to replace games lost on the 2020 schedule

By Andrew Hall

SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 23: DaVaris Daniels #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs for a touchdown after a catch in front of Skye PoVey #7 of the Brigham Young Cougars at Notre Dame Stadium on November 23, 2013 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated BYU 23-13. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 23: DaVaris Daniels #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs for a touchdown after a catch in front of Skye PoVey #7 of the Brigham Young Cougars at Notre Dame Stadium on November 23, 2013 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated BYU 23-13. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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With the announcements that many conferences will play conference-only schedules, the Notre Dame football team may lose a significant amount of their 2020 campaign.

Undoubtedly, Notre Dame Athletic Director and Vice President Jack Swarbrick will exhaust all possible avenues to ensure the 2020 season gets played. With the recent announcements by the Big 10 and Pac 12, holes now appear on Oct. 3, Oct. 10 and Nov. 28. All ideas are currently on the table; perhaps, even a wild proposal by SI.com writer Chris Dukes who wrote the Big 12 should offer temporary membership to Notre Dame.

Although numerous teams could possible replace Wisconsin, Stanford and USC, clubs from the ACC and Independents make most sense at the moment. Here are some possible replacement opponents for the Fighting Irish in 2020:

Oct. 10

Two teams could fit into Notre Dame’s schedule: Syracuse and Virginia. At this point, the Orange need an opponent more than Virginia. Syracuse was scheduled to play Rutgers on Sept. 12. With the Big 10 announcement, that game is now canceled. On the other hand, Virginia’s 2020 schedule is still intact at the moment. However, the likely hood of that remaining untouched is low.

Nov. 28

Rumors of a contest between BYU and Notre Dame circulated as soon as it appeared possible that some of the California teams may not play football in 2020. If “perfect fit” still exists in today’s post-corornavirus vocabulary, the Irish playing the Cougars is one. BYU was slated to play Stanford when the Irish planned to travel to Los Angeles to meet their rival, USC. In press conference, BYU Athletic Director Tom Holmoe said Notre Dame owed the Cougars a home game. The past three meetings between the two programs were played inside Notre Dame Stadium.

New Mexico State would also fit into the Nov. 28 slot. The Aggies and the Irish have never met. New Mexico State has an open date that weekend. However, they lost their game against UCLA to open the season.

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Notre Dame could also utilize their opening created by Wisconsin’s departure on Oct. 3 and their original open date on Oct. 24. However, no ACC or Independent opponent could fill in that capacity. But, the with other conferences going to conference-only schedules, more ACC or Independent teams could fill the void.

Another question remains: Should Notre Dame even replace these games? With conference-only schedules possible across the board, some teams may only play nine games in 2020. Each time Notre Dame travels or welcomes a team to South Bend, it is an opportunity to cause the transmission of the coronavirus. Swarbrick must also consider television obligations and Notre Dame’s season aspirations.

All remains subject to change, daily.

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