Notre Dame Could Face Some High-Powered Offenses In 2026
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Despite some of the criticism around Notre Dame's 2026 schedule as a whole, they have the potential to face some high-powered offenses this season. Some teams are a more 'sure thing' than others, take the Hurricanes for example. But there are some teams on their schedule that have the potential to put together a steady offense. Earlier this week on the Irish Breakdown podcast, we broke down the top offenses Notre Dame will face in the 2026 season.
1. Miami Hurricanes
Let's get the obvious one out of the way. Miami might have one of the best offenses in the country, let along the best on Notre Dame's schedule. They return key players like wide receiver Malachi Toney and running backs Mark Fletcher and CharMar Brown. They also bring back Ryan Rodriguez and Matthew McCoy along the offensive line. The Hurricanes also made crucial portal pickups bringing over quarterback Darien Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate from Duke. They also snagged wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs from South Carolina.
The biggest question with Miami will be how quickly their new-look offensive line finds their football. They have two of the most talented linemen the Fighting Irish will face on defense in Samson Okunlola and Jackson Cantwell but Cantwell is a true freshman and has yet to take a snap of collegiate football while Okunlola has had a steady career so far but hasn't broken out to the level we thought he might at this point in his career. If their offensive line is what we think it could be by November 7, this will be one of the toughest offenses Notre Dame will face in 2026 and that includes the postseason.
2. SMU Mustangs
Quarterback Kevin Jennings is the most experienced quarterback the Irish will face in the regular season. He's going into year three as the starter and will have some young and talented weapons at his disposal. They return both Yamir Knight and Jalen Cooper at wide out and brought in Yannick Smith from East Carolina in the transfer portal. They also snagged running back Kendrick Raphael from Cal who's coming off of a season where he rushed for 843 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Mustangs also brought in two tight ends from the portal, Randy Pittman Jr. from Florida State and Theo Melin Ohrstrom from Texas A&M.
Their offensive line will also be one of the best the Irish will face this season with players like PJ Williams, Addison Nichols and Joshua Bates back in the starting lineup. The only question I have for SMU's offense is around their portal pickups. We now have a much larger sample size of team's success rebuilding through the portal. But they'll need some younger players like Cooper and portal players like Raphael to workout within this offense. But there's a lot to like here with the Mustang's offense.
3. BYU Cougars
The BYU offense is as steady as it comes. They're a very disciplined unit and will be one of the most physical teams the Irish will face in 2026. They return quarterback Bear Bachmeier who is heading into year two under center. The Cougars also return running back LJ Martin who is the best ball carrier on Notre Dame's schedule. Key pieces along the offensive line like Andrew Gentry and Bruce Mitchell also return to Provo, Utah for the 2026 season. Portal pickups like tight end Walker Lyons from USC made his presence felt in the spring as well.
The foundation for this offense is sound, but I have questions around their ability to be explosive. Both of their leading receivers from last season, Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston, are no longer on the roster. Roberts is off to the NFL while Kingston will likely be suspended from the program. They'll be relying on Lyons, a transfer, returning wide receivers JoJo Phillips and Tiger Bachmeier and portal addition Kyler Kasper from Oregon to carry the bulk of their passing attack.
4. Wisconsin Badgers
This is where there's a sizeable gap in the offenses that Notre Dame will face in 2026. There's a clear three teams at the top, while programs like Wisconsin and the other bottom two offenses look to climb up the ranks. The Badgers made some very important offseason portal acquisitions which puts them No. 4 on this list. Quarterback Colton Joseph who is coming over from Old Dominion looks to revitalize this offseason and get Wisconsin back on track.
Last season, they ranked No. 135 in the country in points per game, yards per play and yards per game. Joseph, and portal running backs Abu Sama III from Iowa State and Bryan Jackson from USC, look to change that narrative. Their offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is headed into year two with the system. The big question for the Badgers is the outlook of their offensive line. They'll have the size to compete with anyone in the country, but will they be able to protect Joseph in pass protection? That's a major question mark.
5. Michigan State Spartans
Some might be surprised to see the Spartans on this list. They're headed into year one of the Pat Fitzgerald era, and he's looking to make an immediate turnaround with the Spartan's. Since 2021, Michigan State has had a record of 18-30 and haven't amassed a winning season since 2021. Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic returns after starting the final four games in 2025. The Spartans might have one of the best running back rooms the Irish will face this season as well.
Again, the questions are in the trenches. Their offensive line has some key pieces returning and coming in through the portal, but can it be enough to fuel a turnaround? They'll also be relying heavily on the portal in players like Notre Dame transfer KK Smith to ignite the passing attack. Will Michigan State end the 2026 regular season with a Top 15 offense? Most likely not, but they'll present some challenges when the Irish take them on in a rivalry renewed this season.
6. Navy Midshipmen
This has been a program that has lived and died by the performance of their quarterbacks. In years past, players like Ricky Dobbs, Malcolm Perry, Keenan Reynolds and most recently Blake Horvath have fueled the Midshipmen to promising seasons. Now, it's Braxton Woodson's turn to take the reigns and lead this offense. He'll be doing so behind a veteran offensive line that returns four of its five starters from 2025. But he'll be doing it without Eli Heidenreich and Alex Tecza who played big roles in the Navy offense the last two seasons.
It was close between Navy and Syracuse who would make the final spot on this list, but when evaluating the teams side by side, Navy had less questions and had return a quarterback who rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame last fall and isn't coming off of a significant injury like Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli.
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