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Notre Dame Football: Late October slate could make or break 2021 season

By Brad Weiss

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 27: Isaiah Foskey #7 and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah #6 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish pressure Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game at Kenan Stadium on November 27, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 27: Isaiah Foskey #7 and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah #6 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish pressure Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game at Kenan Stadium on November 27, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame Football team could run the table in the regular season again in 2021, but they will be tested big time in late October.

During the 2020 college football season, the Notre Dame Football team joined the ACC, as a way to actually get a full slate of games in. In the ACC, the Irish looked like the dominant team all season long, going undefeated during the regular season and punching their ticket to the College Football Playoff.

INcluding in those wins was a road game against the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, a program that boasted two of the better running backs in college football, and an elite signal-caller. While running backs Javonte Williams and Michael Carter are now in the NFL, quarterback Sam Howell returns and is one of the players who go into next season as a Heisman candidate.

Looking at the 2021 schedule, which is back to being an Independent one, the Irish have some tough stretches, but a two-game stretch in late October could be the difference in them going to a New Years Six Bowl game or not.

Notre Dame Football to face two elite QBs in late October

In the first away game since Week 1, the Irish will play at Virginia Tech on October 9 before heading into their bye week. At that point, Notre Dame could very well be undefeated, if they can navigate a tough Cincinnati team at home, and the Wisconsin Badgers inside Soldier Field.

After the Tech game is their bye week, giving them a break before possibly their toughest two-game stretch of the year. Coming off the bye, the Irish will welcome the USC Trojans to town, a hated rival who also has a potential first-round draft pick at quarterback in Kedon Slovis.

If they can beat USC in primetime, they play in primetime the following week against Howell and the Tar Heels, so the defense will certainly be tested in those two games. If the Irish can somehow win those, the rest of the slate is pretty easy, including Navy, Virginia, and Georgia Tech at home, before closing on the road at Stanford.

Overall, this is going to be another exciting and tough Notre Dame Football team, and the rest of the country should not be sleeping on them. They have the talent on both sides of the ball to make another serious run at a College Football Playoff, but they will have to navigate this tough two-game stretch to do so.

At least they get both teams at home.

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