College football purists, I have some bad news for you all. You all complain about how bad Notre Dame’s schedule is, but it really isn’t that bad. Especially when compared to other big-time programs.
Notre Dame’s Schedule
Three Big Ten teams:
While Purdue has been poor for a long time, Michigan State and Wisconsin are historically strong programs that are currently in down cycles. Notre Dame scheduled them expecting quality opponents. Yes, these three games are not going to be incredibility difficult but… that comes with a downside for the Big Ten.
Everyone loves to brag about how good the Big Ten is without bringing up how poor the depth of the conference is. Take a look at the conference standings. They have some legitimately terrible programs that shouldn’t be considered Power Four schools.
People have no issue saying the Big Ten opponents Notre Dame are playing are bad. But they don’t keep that same narrative when discussing how the good Big Ten programs benefit from the lack of depth in the conference and the number of easy games said lack of depth provides.
Six ACC matchups:
Four are against average or below-average teams, but one game is against Miami, who is one of the best teams in the country. And the other is against an SMU team that made the playoffs two years ago and is a pretty good program right now.
BYU:
BYU nearly made the playoff last year and was actually ranked as one of the Top 12 teams in the country in the final CFP rankings. They missed out on the technicalities involving conference champions and at least one Group of Five team making the playoff.
Two non–Power Four games:
Rice is a true patsy game but Navy is one of the best non-Power Four schools in the country and way better than most cupcake non-Power Four games other programs play.
Verdict:
Notre Dame’s schedule is by no means a gauntlet, but it is harder than people want to admit. All told they play 10 Power Four games – 3 of which are truly quality opponents that will likely be ranked to start the year – and one of the best non-Power Four teams in the country.
Penn State’s Schedule
Non–Power Four games:
Penn State faces three absolute cupcakes for its non-conference slate.
Key Big Ten matchups:
Washington, Michigan, and USC are good programs but not currently elite.
Six other Big Ten games:
These are largely against average or poor teams, reflecting the conference’s top-heavy nature.
Verdict:
Despite the Big Ten’s prestige, Penn State’s schedule has plenty of soft spots. If the Nittany Lions finish with the same record as Notre Dame, people will likely try to say they deserve to be in over ND due to “playing in the Big Ten.” Which, in this case translates to playing 3 tough games all year – the same number as Notre Dame.
Miami’s Schedule
Non-conference games:
Two against weak non–Power Four opponents to start the year. But… Notre Dame also appears on the schedule, giving Miami a big-time non-conference test.
One tough ACC matchup:
They are playing a Clemson program that had a down year, but I believe is still a quality opponent.
Eight other ACC games:
These are against average or below-average competition. Virginia Tech might improve under James Franklin, but results remain to be seen. And FSU is so volatile, they could be good this year or awful.
Verdict:
Miami has what looks like 2 tough games. I don’t hear people complaining about their schedule.
Two-Minute Drill
The common perception that Notre Dame’s schedule is soft doesn’t fully reflect the reality. If these three programs finish with the same record, it’s worth remembering that their strength of schedule is more similar than people will initially think.
Wheelhouse Blog 