Notre Dame keeps hearing the same lecture every year: join a conference, toughen up the schedule, stop getting special treatment. But the bigger issue in this debate is the double standard baked into college football scheduling, and Miami is the clearest example of it.
The Fighting Irish are set up with three preseason AP Top 25 opponents on the slate, including Miami, No. 14 BYU and No.
19 SMU. That’s more than the Hurricanes can say.
Miami’s only game against a team that was ranked before the season is that Nov. 7 meeting in South Bend.
The gap shows up in the rest of the schedule too. Notre Dame doesn’t have an FCS opponent on its slate.
Miami does, with Florida A&M next week. The Hurricanes also have Central Michigan later in the year, while the Irish have Navy.
There’s another wrinkle critics keep glossing over: Mario Cristobal’s team avoids two other ACC champion-level teams, since it won’t play SMU or Virginia in the regular season. Notre Dame, meanwhile, gets both Miami and SMU on its ACC schedule.
Miami isn’t the only Power 4 team benefiting from a soft landing. Texas Tech has drawn attention for an especially easy schedule, and it includes only one preseason AP Top 25 opponent: No.
23 Houston. The Cougars, at least based on how they looked against a rebuilding Oregon State, didn’t appear likely to stay ranked for long.
SMU, BYU and Houston also all have fewer preseason AP Top 25 teams on their schedules than Notre Dame - one, two and two, respectively. If the Mustangs and Cougars lose to Freeman’s team, they still won’t be out of the College Football Playoff picture as long as they handle their conference business.
That’s the part of this conversation that keeps getting lost. Notre Dame gets tagged as the school with the favorable setup, but conference teams are often the ones getting the real break, with analysts and voters looking past cupcake-heavy schedules while the Irish are held to a different standard.
In Other News...
Kenny Minchey Just Changed How Notre Dame Fans See That QB Battle
Kenny Mincheys first start at Kentucky was the kind of debut that gets remembered, especially for Notre Dame fans who watched him leave with unfinished business. Against Youngstown State, the former Irish quarterback threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover, flashing the arm talent that made him a highly rated recruit in the first place. It also put him in rare company by matching a statistical benchmark not seen at Kentucky since Tim Couch nearly 30 years ago.
For Notre Dame, the performance inevitably reopens the conversation about what might have been, and what the quarterback picture looked like while Minchey was still in South Bend. He had limited playing time with the Irish before transferring, but now he has a start that gives his new program a clear jolt and gives his old one another reminder that quarterback evaluations rarely feel settled in the moment. Even one game can change the way a fan base remembers a battle, and this one certainly did. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Finally Has A Plan For Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa's Return
Notre Dame is finally moving toward getting Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa back on the field, with the linebacker expected to see limited snaps in the upcoming game against Rice. He has been out since last season because of an ACL tear, and Marcus Freeman said his practice volume has risen enough that he is trending toward being ready to play.
For a defense that has been waiting on his return, the key now is not just getting him back, but managing how quickly he is asked to do too much. The Irish plan is clearly cautious, with the staff aiming to bring him along gradually and let his role grow as he settles back in after a long absence. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Lands In A Wild Early CFP Picture Before Big Ten Play
Andy Staples first College Football Playoff projection of the season is already packed with surprises, and it puts Ohio State in a prominent spot before Big Ten play has even started to sort things out. His Week 1 bracketology also includes LSU, Miami, Texas, Oregon and USC, with the Trojans projected to make the playoff field for the first time in school history, a reminder of how much September can still reshape the national picture.
For Notre Dame fans keeping an eye on the broader race, the larger takeaway is how unsettled everything remains this early. Staples model is only a snapshot, and the article makes clear that these early projections are speculative, with upcoming games expected to keep changing the order as the season develops. [Read more 🡒]