Notre Dame opens the 2026 season with plenty of buzz, but not every game on the schedule will be a clean runway. The Irish kick things off in the Shamrock Series at Lambeau Field against Wisconsin, and while that matchup has the headline appeal, there are a handful of other spots where a game that looks manageable could turn into a headache.
That’s the nature of a long season. A team can stack up the big wins and still get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. For Notre Dame, the danger isn’t always the marquee opponent - sometimes it’s the game sitting between bigger ones, or the matchup that asks a little too much at the wrong point on the calendar.
Wisconsin sits at the top of the list for that reason. It’s the opener, and opener-type games can get weird in a hurry.
The Badgers may not have the horses to run with Notre Dame, but there’s no real read yet on what this year’s group will look like. Add in Marcus Freeman’s teams struggling in early games, and this one has the ingredients for an upset.
That doesn’t mean it happens, but it could be tighter than plenty of people expect.
North Carolina is another spot that demands attention. Bill Belichick is the obvious reason, and he’s a Hall of Fame coach who can put together a game plan with anybody.
The Tar Heels already showed real improvement by beating TCU 15-10 in Dublin, Ireland, and this will be their first big home game, which means the crowd should be loud. Teams often take a step forward in Year 2, and that’s exactly the situation here.
On paper, Notre Dame still looks like the better team, but an elite coach changes the math.
Navy is always tricky for the simple reason that service academies force you to play a different kind of football. Their offense doesn’t resemble what most teams see week to week, and that alone makes the matchup uncomfortable.
Notre Dame has shown it can adjust well enough to handle the Midshipmen, but this one also comes with scheduling pressure, sitting around BYU and Miami. If the Irish are chasing big goals, a loss to an unranked team would be a brutal setback.
Boston College also lands in that dangerous zone. It’s a game Notre Dame should win, but it comes tucked between ranked opponents in Miami and SMU.
That stretch starts with what should be a slugfest against the Hurricanes, and by the time Boston College rolls in, the Irish could be feeling it. Depth matters at that point in the season, and that’s where a game that looks safe can turn sour fast.
Stanford rounds out the list, and this one is less about the Cardinal being overwhelming and more about timing. It’s the final game before Notre Dame’s schedule gets even tougher, and Stanford has already beaten a Marcus Freeman team.
The good news for the Irish is simple: this one is at Notre Dame Stadium. Still, that doesn’t make it a game to sleepwalk through.
Five games. Five different ways things can get uncomfortable. Notre Dame may be built for a big season, but the trap is always waiting somewhere on the schedule.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Opens Season With Adon Shuler Facing Heartbreaking Loss
Notre Dame is heading into its 2026 opener against Wisconsin with a heavy off-field burden hanging over one of its most important defenders. Adon Shuler, a two-time team captain and a key piece of the secondary, is dealing with the death of his father, Don Shuler, whose passing was announced by the family on social media.
For a player whose leadership role has made him central to the Irish defense, the timing adds a deeply personal layer to the start of the season. No public arrangements for Don Shuler had been announced at the time of the report, leaving the program and its supporters to navigate the opening of camp and the first game week with the Shuler family foremost in mind. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Camp Buzz Is Building Around 3 Irish Difference Makers
With Notre Dames opener closing in, camp has started to sharpen the picture around a few players who could matter more than expected once the season settles in. Mylan Graham and James Flanigan are both being tracked as possible starters at wide receiver, giving the Irish a couple of younger options whose roles could grow quickly if they keep building through August.
Joey OBrien is in a different spot, but he is drawing attention for his own reasons. The true freshman safety has recovered from an injury and is back in the mix as the top backup, which puts him in position to compete for real playing time rather than just developmental snaps. For a team looking ahead to the 2026 season, those are the kinds of camp developments that can quietly shape the depth chart before anyone really notices. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dames Captain Vote Revealed A Leadership Problem Freeman Welcomed
Notre Dame settled on four captains for the current season, a group that blends experience and fresh voices in a way Marcus Freeman clearly values. Drayk Bowen and Adon Shuler return from last years leadership group, while CJ Carr and Jordan Faison join them after earning enough trust from their teammates to be elevated into the role.
Freeman said nine players drew significant votes, which is the kind of detail coaches usually welcome more than worry about. The Fighting Irish still chose to keep the captaincy to four, the third time in five years they have landed on that number, and the result says as much about the depth of leadership on the roster as it does about the names wearing the title. [Read more 🡒]