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Notre Dame football: Games to keep an eye on during the 2022 bye week

By Brad Weiss

Sep 18, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey (7) celebrates after a sack in the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 18, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey (7) celebrates after a sack in the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Notre Dame football team does not play this weekend, but there are plenty of games to keep an eye on this Saturday.

After the bye week, the Notre Dame football team will take on BYU, a game that could vault them back into the national picture. Going into their game against Utah State ranked No. 19 in the country, BYU was able to come away with the victory, and will likely move up a few spots on Sunday.

While their next opponent has already played, that does not mean there are no big-time games to keep an eye on this weekend. In fact, the Irish should be watching all of the top 25 teams in the country, as it is time for them to jump back into the AP Poll after not receiving a single vote the last two weeks.

Here are some key games to watch on Saturday:

  • NC State vs Clemson
  • USC vs Arizona State
  • Wake Forest vs FSU
  • Purdue vs Minnesota

All four of these games have implications for the Irish, as Wake Forest, FSU, and Minnesota are all ranked at the bottom of the top 25, and could be bounced with a loss. NC State will battle it out against Clemson, while Arizona State will try to upset USC, two teams ranked in the top-6 that the Irish have to play down the road.

With some moving and shaking on Saturday, the Irish could reappear in the AP Poll Sunday.

Notre Dame football can still disrupt the CFP picture

Despite the two early-season losses, and the Irish not getting any love in the AP Poll in recent weeks, the Notre Dame football season is not dead by any means. They have a legitimate chance to shock some people the rest of the way, and a win against Clemson, USC, or even both, would turn the CFP race on its head.

Notre Dame football may have found the correct gameplan for the rest of the season against UNC, as they got steady play from Drew Pyne, ran the ball down the Tar Heels’ throats, and played solid defense when they needed stops. That recipe is good enough to beat any team on their schedule the rest of the way, including USC and Clemson.

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