It's The Year Of Our Lord, Two Thousand And Twenty-Six, And Notre Dame Is About To Go UNDefeated
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Dearly Beloved, welcome to year 14 of the Notre Dame uNDefeated blog. The haters are out in full force about the schedule, alleged preferential treatment, and Notre Dame's refusal to join a conference. That is normal. We are used to that. We remain honest and righteous even in the aftermath of the 2025 season which saw the college football power structure conspired to keep Notre Dame out of the playoff on the eve of the tournament. Replacing them with Miami who eventually made the National Championship game with their biggest win of the regular season coming at home, week 1, in 104 degree heat with 99% humidity, against a freshman quarterback making his first start and they still only won by three.
This year is different though. We are in an unfamiliar position. Notre Dame has...respect. They have national recognition and expectations. Josh Pate, Kirk Herbstreit, Joey Galloway, and even that little pork-faced failed coach turned analyst, Brian Kelly, have predicted an undefeated season and/or a National Championship for the Irish. DraftKings has set the win total for Notre Dame at 11.5 wins. The talent Notre Dame has is undeniable. That freshman QB who almost beat the National Championship runner up isn't a freshman anymore. He's a Heisman candidate and potential Top 5 pick in the NFL Draft. He was, by all accounts, the best player at the Manning QB camp. The defense has NFL talent at every level of the defense including arguably the best defensive player in the country, and ND is still ND so they're going to be able to run the ball and have a dominant offensive line.
With all of that said...don't listen to them. All of the pundits praising Notre Dame over the summer are praying for their demise in the fall. We saw last year how quickly and easily people will try to deny Notre Dame's place among the elite. We have to remain loud. We have remain vigilant. The solution the rest of the country has for Notre Dame this year is rat poison. It's everywhere. It just can't be in the locker room. The biggest mistake the college football made is keeping Notre Dame out of the playoff last year. That corruption should be an antidote to the rat poison. It's a year to leave no doubt. If the Irish are up 30 at the half...win by 60. When Miami comes to South Bend in November, make sure it's loud. I want the only warm air blowing in that stadium coming from the ravenous breath coming from screams of 80,000 Irish fans. Notre Dame has learned the lesson from last season. They have to be undeniable. They have to be merciless. They have to be uNDefeated.
Let's do the schedule.
Week 1: Wisconsin
A game that was supposed to happen years ago during covid and things couldn't be different. Notre Dame, always looking to beef up their schedule, announced the series with Wisconsin in 2017 as the Badgers won the BigTen going 13-1 on the season, beating Miami in the Orange Bowl to cap off the year. Now, sadly, Wisconsin is a doormat. The college football landscape changed from underneath them and they lost their identity. Bad for them and unfortunate for Notre Dame. Wisconsin is a glorified MAC team instead of a playoff contender and it's a black mark on the strength of schedule. ND had the best of intentions and Wisconsin couldn't live up to their end of the deal. Irish 42 Wisconsin 17.
Week 2: Rice
This was always meant to be a tune up. The challenge for this game will be to get CJ Carr enough stats by halftime to keep him in Heisman discussions. Notre Dame 52 Rice 10
Week 3: Michigan State
Another BigTen team back on the schedule. I love it. If it were up to me Notre Dame would play Michigan State every year. Trophy game. These two haven't played since 2017. I hope Pat Fitzgerald gets MSU back in the conversation for the BigTen. It's just not going to start this year. Notre Dame 38 MSU 17
Week 4: @Purdue
Fortunately for tradition, this BigTen intra-state rivalry hasn't completely gone away like the others. Unfortunately for Purdue, they've given up 66 and 56 points against Notre Dame the last two years. That isn't going to change in 2026. Purdue is down as bad as they've ever been and this is only going to make it worse. Notre Dame 56 Purdue 10
Week 5: @ UNC
Bill Belichick and Bobby Petrino. Two legendary names. Two names that might have seen the game pass them by. UNC looked okay in week 0 against TCU, but that program seems like it's a mess from a distance. It's going to look even worse for them up close. Another game where Notre Dame should be able to pad stats and then rest starters in the 4th quarter. Notre Dame 48 UNC 13
Week 6: Stanford
Another rivalry game that doesn't pop anymore. 10-12 years ago this was a war. Tight Ends and running backs. Smash mouth. Now Stanford is somehow in the ACC. And by in the ACC I mean at the bottom of the ACC. You'd think those tech giants of silicon valley would be able to pump some money into the football program, but apparently the tech nerds don't care about football. Stanford is down as bad as Purdue. This is NOT Notre Dame's fault. ND isn't responsible for the state of these programs who refuse to modernize. They will punish them for it though. Notre Dame 52 Stanford 7
Week 7: @ BYU
Credit to BYU for not being cowards. This is the replacement game for USC who is ducking Notre Dame this year and refuses to play the Irish in South Bend in October. BYU is a playoff contender. One of three such ND opponents on the schedule this year. Which is very similar to the vast majority of the schedules across the country. Notre Dame needs BYU to be undefeated themselves heading into this game so the Irish can make it a statement. I like their quarterback. I like their coach. Provo is a tough place to play. This is a "Heisman" game for Carr in the thin air of Utah. He's going to sling it all over the place. Notre Dame 31 BYU 20
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Week 8: @ Navy
I respect our armed forces and I respect tradition. I shan't be saying anything too negative about the Midshipmen. Sing the alma mater and get out of Navy after the bye with a solid win against a tricky offense. Notre Dame 38 Navy 7
Week 9: Miami
Revenge. I am glad Miami is back. College football is better when they're good. Having this rivalry from the 80s in a regular rotation is the sole benefit from this stupid ACC affiliation as far as I am concerned. There has been a lot of talk about Notre Dame's schedule being weak this year. Have any of these haters taken a look at Miami's schedule? Notre Dame is Miami's ONLY game this year. Clemson stinks. Florida State stinks. Virginia Tech just hired James Franklin off the top of the scrap heap. Miami's non-conference schedule is Florida A&M and Central Michigan. It's pathetic. Not much Miami can do. They're in the same boat. They are in the ACC and the ACC is now cheeks. That's out of their control just like it's out of Notre Dame's control. I just want things to be fair and balanced. Notre Dame's schedule is objectively tougher than Miami's and nobody seems to notice. This is going to be one of the biggest games of the year across the country. Leonard vs Toney. Mensah vs Carr. It's going to be a playoff seeding game. It's a top 10 matchup right now and it could be 1 vs 2 in the country by the time these teams play. Leaving turns, chill in the air, under the lights in Notre Dame stadium. I can't wait. Hopefully Miami doesn't drop games beforehand so it's the biggest game of the regular season. Homefield matters. I have a hard time imaging Miami replacing all of the D-line talent they lost to the NFL. This is a true heisman game for Carr and the Irish get it. Notre Dame 27 Miami 20
Week 10: Boston College
Always a trap game. BC for basically my entire spot catches Notre Dame in a classic let down spot. That might have them keep it inside the number, but the number will probably be something like 24.5. Boston College's win total line is 3.5. They aren't getting one of those wins in this spot. Notre Dame 34 Boston College 10
Week 11: SMU
SMU, per experts, have an outside chance at the playoff. They've been in before. And, as discussed, the ACC is trash. SMU is at +350 to make the playoffs as of this morning and it's because they don't play anyone either. They don't play Miami. Their only preseason top 25 game other than Notre Dame is Louisville early in the season. Third year starter at QB who threw 50 TDs over the past two seasons. Good offensive line. Invested heavily on defense in the portal. SMU likely could lock up a playoff spot with a win over Notre Dame late in the season. Having said all of that I have a hard time imaging SMU being able to stop ND and having enough weapons to make life overly difficult for one of the best defenses in the country. Notre Dame 37 SMU 20
Week 12: @ Syracuse
I went to the Syracuse game last year and it was over before ND's offense touched the field. It is impossible to have something like that in reality, but in spirit it'll be more of the same. This is a blow out spot and a backup heaving game. Notre Dame wins easily per usual. Notre Dame 38 Syracuse 7
This entire schedule is a preamble. Every year for Notre Dame is about winning a National Championship. There are no moral victories. There are no banners for a conference championship. It's all about bringing that first National Title since 1988. It's all about the playoff. We've seen Freeman take the Irish to the 4th quarter of the final game. This is the year where they have the QB, the weapons, and the secondary to compete with anyone. Sitting here today I'd guess the playoff run will eventually feature Oregon and Ohio State and man for man I think those are the only teams in America that matchup with ND's talent man for man. The biggest opponent for Notre Dame in the regular season and early playoff matchups are themselves. The rat poison. The pressure. The people waiting, hoping, and praying for the downfall of the Irish. They're going to be very disappointed. The Irish are for real. More real than they've been since Lou Holtz left and now our man is up in heaven cheering and helping the Irish from above. Lou and our Lord and Savior watching their favorite team on a big fluffy cloud couch in the sky every saturday means this is the year Notre Dame CAN'T lose. We are on the verge of a special run under Freeman and it starts tomorrow up in Lambeau.