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Every team in college football enters the 2026 season in need of answering questions from the top contenders down to schools looking to turn their fortunes around in the CFP era. Notre Dame's schedule features schools in every category you can think of from Miami who is looking to repeat their playoff run from 2025 down to teams like Purdue who are looking to pick up their first conference win since 2023. 

We've spent a lot of time talking about the questions the Irish need to answer on offense, defense and amongst their coaching staff. Now, with the season less than 100 days away, it's time to turn our attention to Notre Dame's 2026 opponents and the biggest question for each team as they all gear-up for fall camp. 

Quarter One

Wisconsin Badgers – Will The Portal Talent Be What We Think It Can Be?

I haven't been shy around by optimism around Wisconsin this offseason. A big factor in my optimism comes from their portal acquisitions. The Badgers return leading pass catchers Vinny Anthony II and tight end Lance Mason, but their portal pickups of quarterback Colton Joseph, running backs Bryan Jackson from USC and Abu Sama III from Iowa State, defensive end Justus Boone from Arkansas and safety Carson Van Dinter give me a lot of hope this roster, combined with an easier schedule than their 2025 gauntlet, will lead to more wins. But can the portal talent be what we think it can be this season? 

Rice Owls – Is The Young Talent Ready To Step Up?

The Owls were a very experienced team in 2025 and they still only managed a 5-8 schedule. They only return three starters on offense and three starters on defense. Will the young and inexperienced players be ready to step up? Realistically, this should be the easiest win on Notre Dame's schedule, but home openers in South Bend under Marcus Freeman against inferior competition have gone south in the past. That being said, this Rice roster is vastly different than the 2022 Marshall team and 2024 Northern Illinois team that bested the Irish. They'll need several inexperienced players on offense and defense to step up. 

Michigan State Spartans – How Quickly Can Pat Fitzgerald Get Things Going?

The Spartans elected to hire former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald this offseason. They return some key talent on both sides of the ball and brought in some solid portal talent. But we're talking about a Michigan State program that has vastly underachieved since 2021. There's no telling how quickly Fitzgerald and his new staff can get things going this season which is why it's their biggest question. They'll likely enter their matchup with the Irish undefeated and will pick up wins at home against Toledo and Eastern Michigan, but how those games will look is the question. 

Quarter Two

Purdue Boilermakers – Can Barry Odom Generate Momentum In Year Two?

To some, there isn't much of a difference between a 1-11 record and a 2-10 record, but when you look at how the team performed between those two seasons, one of them doesn't look like the other. Second year head coach Barry Odom started to change the culture in West Lafayette and the Boilermakers were significantly more competitive in their 2025 matchup with Notre Dame than their 2024 matchup under Ryan Walters. How much momentum will Odom have in year two heading into a season with a roster predominantly made up of portal players once again? 

North Carolina Tarheels – What Will The Bobby Petrino Offense Look Like?

Former Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is linking arms with Bill Belichick in Chapel Hill and he's walking into a situation where they have two returning starters on offense, and neither of them are on the offensive line. This will be a very heady portal team, but their acquisitions were promising. With such a new-looking roster, there's no telling what the Petrino offense will look like this season; the talent is vastly different from what he had at Arkansas in 2025. 

Stanford Cardinal – Can Davis Warren Be 'The Guy' Under Center?

General manager Andrew Luck and head coach Tavita Pritchard know a thing or two about being the starting quarterback at Stanford. Can they pass down their experience and knowledge to transfer quarterback Davis Warren who has had a lack-luster collegiate career? In his one year as a starter at Michigan. Warren passes for 1,199 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. Warren is a California native and is returning to his home state to likely take over the Cardinal offense. Stanford is also a team that returns a lot of key pieces on offense and defense, but can Warren be the guy under center? That's the key for their 2026 season. 

Quarter Three

BYU Cougars – Who Steps Up To Replace Parker Kingston?

There's no doubt that BYU will have one of the best backfield in the Big 12 with LJ Martin coming back and quarterback Bear Bachmeier returning under center. But there's a looming question around who replacing the production lost with Parker Kingston's impending suspension. The Cougars lost Chase Roberts their second leading receiver to graduation; Kingston was their No. 1 guy last fall and will also be absent from this year's team. They return players like JoJo Phillips and Tiger Bachmeier but can they replace what was lost? Tight end transfer Walker Lyons should also be able to help but that's also a big ask. 

Navy Midshipmen – What Will The Braxton Woodson Era Bring?

The Midshipmen enter the 2026 season without their 'Big Three' who carried their offense the past couple of seasons. Quarterback Blake Horvath, fullback Alex Tecza and wingback/wide receiver Eli Heidenreich are all gone, paving the way for Braxton Woodson who started against the Irish last fall to take over under center. He's a bigger and stronger runner than what Horvath was, but can he replicate his impact in the passing game? Navy's offense took on a modernized look under Horvath due to his abilities as a passer, but it's unclear if Woodson can replicate that. He's only thrown 95 career passes in three years compared to Horvath's 311 in the same time span.   

Miami Hurricanes – Can You Supplement The Significant Losses In The Trenches?

The skilled talent the Hurricanes return, especially on offense, is amongst some of the best in the country. But how will their line play shake out? They lost four of their five starters on the offensive line and lost two first-round defensive ends in Akeem Mesidor and Rueben Bain. The players they have replacing their losses on the offensive line are talented, no doubt about it. But can they have a similar impact to the offensive line in 2025 or are they a year away? How well head coach Mario Cristobal is able to answer that question will dictate a lot of Miami's 2026 success because I have very few questions about their skilled positions. 

Quarter Four

Boston College Eagles – Can Mason McKenzie Carry The Eagles?

The outlook of Boston College's 2026 season does not look great. Head coach Bill O'Brien severely underachieved with the talent on last year's roster and this year's roster is shades of where it was at in 2025. Former Division II quarterback Mason McKenzie will likely be the No. 1 signal caller on offense and brings a dual-threat ability to this offense. Will he be able to carry this team the way that Thomas Castellanos did in 2024 to a 7-6 record? Will McKenzie be able to make the significant jump from DII to the P4? O'Brien is banking on the hope that he can. 

SMU Mustangs – Will Their New-Look Defensive Line Hold?

SMU is in a similar spot to Miami. I have little to no questions about their skilled talent on either side of the ball. It will be some of the best the Irish will face in 2026. But their trench play, specifically on defense, is a major question. They lost all four starting defensive lineman from their 2025 team and supplemented those losses with four transfer portal players. Personally, I don't love entire starting units made up of portal players, regardless of their talent level. More times than not, we haven't seen inconsistent play and subpar results. Can SMU break that stereotype and put together a solid defensive line? That will have to be answered this fall. 

Syracuse Orange – Who Steps Up To Help Quarterback Steve Angeli?

After a really promising start to the season, quarterback Steve Angeli, a former Notre Dame transfer, went down with an achilles injury bringing a screeching halt to his 2025 campaign. He returns in 2026, but the level of talent around him looks significantly different. Last season, he had guys like Yasin Willis, Darrell Gill, Johntay Cook and Justus Ross-Simmons to distribute the ball to. Now, all of those players are gone and he'll have to rely on young talent and portal acquisitions to throw to. Ideally, Cole Weaver from Miami (OH) and Elijah Moore from Florida State can be go-to targets for Angeli. 

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