The Notre Dame football program has a tough task ahead of them in terms of its 2022 schedule, and here is the toughest stretch of the year.
Starting with their Week 1 matchup against Ohio State, the Notre Dame football team has a very tough 2022 schedule. They go against some elite teams, and elite quarterbacks, and it seems like every weekend is going to be a test to show they are a legitimate CFP contender.
Here, we look at the toughest stretch of the 2022 schedule for the Irish.
Notre Dame football: Toughest stretch of the 2022 schedule
November 5 vs Clemson
We start with a November night game, as the Clemson Tigers travel to South Bend to take on the Irish in what will be must-see television. The Tigers are looking to bounce back after a tough season by their standards and will be hoping to get better play from quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei.
Dabo Swinney is going to have this one circled on his calendar, as the last time these two teams met up during the regular season, the Irish took them down. This is the start of a tough four-game stretch to close the 2022 season, and this is a game that is going to be key when it comes to the Irish College Football Playoff resume.
Notre Dame football: Toughest stretch of the 2022 schedule
November 12 vs Navy (M&T Bank Stadium)
The Navy Midshipmen were 4-8 last season, and that record included a 34-6 loss to the Notre Dame football team on the road. The Irish were able to suffocate the Navy offense, as this was during a stretch where the team did not allow a touchdown across a three-game late-season run that included wins against the Midshipmen, Virginia, and Georgia Tech.
In 2022, the Midshipmen are not supposed to be great once again and placed only six players on the American Athletic Conference’s preseason All-Conference team per Athlon Sports. By this time of the season, the Irish offense should be rolling, and while Navy’s defense has good players up front, including Donald Berniard, they won’t be able to stop Notre Dame football across four quarters.
This is the most winnable game during this four-game stretch, as Navy has not been good for quite some time now. However, they also run a funky offense and have some playmakers on both sides of the ball, so they are never a team you should look past, especially this late in the season.
Notre Dame football: Toughest stretch of the 2022 schedule
November 19 vs Boston College
The November 19 game inside Notre Dame Stadium has to be circled for Phil Jurkovec, a former quarterback in the Irish program. Since leaving Notre Dame, Jurkovec has become a legitimate NFL prospect for the Boston College Eagles and will be looking to make one more statement against the program that recruited him out of Pine-Richland High School in Pennsylvania.
The 6-foot-5 Jurkovec has started 16 games for the Eagles across the last two seasons, but only six last year, as he battled injuries throughout. When he is healthy, he has all the tools you look for in a starting quarterback at the college level, and you have to think that if he had stayed in South Bend, he would likely be the starter in 2022.
During the 2020 season, Jurkovec and the Eagles took on the Irish, and he ended up with 272 yards passing and two touchdowns in a 45-31 Notre Dame victory. Jurkovec would likely want nothing more than to beat the Irish in his final collegiate season, and we should know by the time these two meet up whether or not he is playing at a high level, or this will be another easy Irish victory.
Notre Dame football: Toughest stretch of the 2022 schedule
November 26 at USC
The final game of the season is going to be a special one, as both the USC Trojans and Notre Dame football teams could be serious CFP contenders at this point. The 2022 USC Trojans are going to be a lot different than they were a year ago, when they struggled in terms of their play on the field, and at the head coaching spot.
Lincoln Riley shocked the college football landscape when he bolted Oklahoma for the Trojans, and he took some of his elite Sooners players with him. They are going to be a tough out this year, and while they have not beaten the Irish since the 2016 college football season, I believe this will be the second-toughest game of the Notre Dame schedule.
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The truth is, the 2022 Irish schedule is a daunting one, and while they could certainly go undefeated if things fall the right way, they also could be a nine-win team going into the bowl season. Getting off on a good foot against Clemson is huge for this stretch because if they struggle, the CFP will likely be out of reach.