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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.

Understanding How NFL Teams Manipulate the Salary Cap

Managing the NFL salary cap is a complex puzzle. Successful franchises like the Eagles and Rams are praised for their ability to “manipulate” the cap, while less aggressive teams, such as the Bengals, are often criticized for failing to take advantage of these tools. In this post, we’ll break down the main methods teams use to maximize their financial flexibility and stay competitive.

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1. Contract Incentives

One of the most common ways teams manage the salary cap is through contract incentives. Incentives come in two categories:

Likely To Be Earned (LTBE)
Not Likely To Be Earned (NLTBE)

The NFL determines these categories based solely on a player’s prior-year performance, regardless of circumstances like injuries.

Example:

Saquon Barkley rushed for 1,140 yards last season. Let’s say theoretically his cap hit is $10 million this year.
If the Eagles give him a $5 million incentive for reaching 1,100 yards next year, that incentive is LTBE because he surpassed that mark last year. His cap hit would immediately include the $5 million, totaling $15 million. If he hits the mark then all is well. If he doesn’t, the team gets $5 million credited to their cap space next year.
If the incentive is set at 1,200 yards (which he didn’t hit last year), it is NLTBE, meaning the cap hit this season stays at $10 million. If he hits 1,200 yards, the $5 million counts against next year’s cap instead. If he doesn’t hit the mark then all is well.

This allows teams to manage when cap hits occur, creating flexibility between seasons.

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2. Contract Restructures

Teams often restructure contracts to push cap hits into future seasons. Here’s how it works:

A player has a $20 million salary.
The team converts $18 million of that into a signing bonus and leaves $2 million as base salary.
If he has three years left on his deal, the $18 million bonus is prorated over those years: $6 million per year.

Result:

Original cap hit: $20 million
New cap hit: $2 million (base) + $6 million (bonus) = $8 million
Additional $6 million cap hit the next two year

The player typically prefers this since they get most of the money upfront as a lump sum. Teams can spread out the bonus over a maximum of 5 years.

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3. Void Years

When a player is in the final year of his contract, teams can still spread out bonuses by adding “void years.” These are fake contract years used purely for cap accounting.

Example:

Player has 1 year left with a $20 million salary.
The team converts $18 million of that into a signing bonus and leaves $2 million as base salary.
Team adds 2 void years.
The $18 million bonus is spread over 3 years ($6M each), reducing the immediate cap hit to $8 million this year: $2 million (base) + $6 million (bonus) = $8 million

When the contract ends, the remaining bonus owed in the void years becomes dead money against the cap immediately. Even with void years, teams can still spread out the bonus over a maximum of 5 years.

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4. Post-June 1 Designation

Cutting or trading a player after June 1 allows teams to split dead money over two seasons:

Pre-June 1: Entire remaining bonus a team owes a player hits that season’s cap immediately as dead money.
Post-June 1: Current year’s bonus counts this season, while the rest is deferred to the following year.

This approach gives teams short-term cap relief, which is especially useful for contending teams.

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5. Cap Rollover

Cap space can also roll over to the following year:

If a team finishes $40 million under the cap, that amount can be added to next year’s spending limit.
Teams must still spend at least 89% of the cap over a four-year period to prevent abuse.

This strategy is ideal for struggling franchises that want to save money for future free-agent spending sprees.

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The Big Picture

Salary cap manipulation is a balancing act. Successful teams push cap charges into the future to maximize their current rosters, but eventually, dead money catches up.