How Notre Dame’s opponents fared in WEEK 5 of the CFB season
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Notre Dame’s 2026 college football schedule has been called many thing over the last eight months, but “tough” or anywhere near the word “hard” was certainly not among them. Still, some have mentioned that this Irish schedule could look a lot trickier as the season progresses. While they may eventually be true, it may not matter all that much (except for message boards and social media).
Notre Dame took a minute or two to get going against the Wisconsin Badgers in the season opener, but eventually the Irish whooped them 42-13. Notre Dame welcomed the Rice Owls to South Bend for the home opener, and sent them back to Texas with a 52-0 loss. Although the Irish were big favorites against Michigan State, they got their best shot — and still beat the Spartans 27-10. The Irish were once again massive favorites over a Big 10 team, and they more than covered against Purdue with a 49-10 win that was never that close. Notre Dame was better than a three touchdown favorite against North Carolina, but ran into a bit of a clunker (and rain) and beat the Tar Heels 37-26. Next up for the Irish is a return home to take on the Stanford Cardinal for the Legends Trophy.
Notre Dame is likely to be favored in every game this season, and they are still a popular pick to win the national championship. Their strength of schedule probably isn’t going to matter much, but let’s keep track of it anyway.
| OPPONENT | RESULT | RECORD | AP TOP 25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Badgers | W vs Michigan State 31-3 | 4-1 | VOTES |
| Rice Owls | L vs UTSA 16-14 | 1-4 | – |
| Michigan State Spartans | L vs Michigan State 31-3 | 2-3 | – |
| Purdue Boilermakers | W vs Illinois 24-17 | 2-3 | – |
| North Carolina Tar Heels | L vs Notre Dame 37-26 | 2-2 | – |
| Stanford Cardinal | L vs Wake Forest 57-3 | 2-3 | – |
| BYU Cougars | W vs TCU 17-10 | 4-0 | 8 |
| Navy Midshipmen | L vs Air Force 14-9 | 1-3 | – |
| Miami Hurricanes | W vs Clemson 41-13 | 5-0 | 4 |
| Boston College Eagles | L vs SMU 25-16 | 2-3 | – |
| SMU Mustangs | W vs Boston College 25-16 | 4-1 | 24 |
| Syracuse Orange | W vs UConn 42-41 | 2-2 | – |
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos