BYU vs. Notre Dame: Top-8 Clash and Schedule Debate

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Notre Dame’s Schedule Faces Scrutiny Ahead of Top-Eight BYU Matchup

BYU and Notre Dame meet in a top-eight matchup according to the AP poll, giving the Fighting Irish an opportunity to answer criticism about their schedule.

Notre Dame has three Big Ten wins, tied with Ohio State and Indiana for the most in the conference. According to Jeff Sarigan’s strength-of-schedule rankings, Notre Dame is 31st, ahead of Georgia at 38, Ohio State at 45, BYU at 56, Indiana at 66 and Miami at 72.

However, strength of schedule does not truly matter until the end of the season. If No. 2 Notre Dame beats No. 8 BYU on the road in front of a loud crowd, the Irish will have earned the recognition that comes with that victory. If Notre Dame loses, then attention can shift to the remaining schedule, which includes Miami in a few weeks.

The broader problem is that college football schedules are not created equally. Teams play different combinations of conference games, nonconference opponents, FCS programs and other opponents. Until schedules are unified, debates over strength of record, strength of schedule and similar measurements will continue.

The criticism of Notre Dame’s schedule also overlooks how its opponents have performed. Wisconsin played Notre Dame in Week 1 and has won every game since. Wisconsin is a less-than-field-goal underdog at 12th-ranked UCLA and could close as a home favorite against top-20 USC. Minnesota also received significant attention before losing by 28 points to Purdue, a team Notre Dame beat by 40.

Notre Dame schedules opponents years in advance and actively books games against Big Ten and ACC teams. It cannot know how teams such as Syracuse and Stanford will perform three years later. As an independent, Notre Dame must build its own schedule, which includes three Big Ten teams, three ACC teams and Miami. SMU, another team on Notre Dame’s schedule, is also ranked in the top 25.

Despite the criticism, the oddsmakers continue to view Notre Dame as one of the best teams in college football.