2026 Boston College Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 10: Notre Dame

For the first time since 2011-12, “The Holy War,” which is the name of the rivalry between Boston College and Notre Dame, will be played in back-to-back seasons, as the Eagles and the Fighting Irish faced one another last season in Chestnut Hill, Mass., and will see each other once more in 2026.

Notre Dame got the best of BC in last year’s edition, coming out triumphant by a final score of 25-10 to increase its win streak to 10 in the series.

This season’s contest will take place in South Bend, Ind., which marks the first time the Eagles are playing a game there since 2022, when they got walloped 44-0 during a blizzard.

Here is the early opponent preview of the Fighting Irish, BC’s Catholic cousin and Week-11 opponent:

Offense

Without the explosive backfield duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, who were both selected in the first round of the 2026 National Football League (NFL) Draft, Notre Dame’s offense will need to rely on different methods for production this year.

But the majority of the offense’s bones stayed intact, starting with its quarterback, CJ Carr.

As a true freshman last year, Carr passed for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns with only six interceptions on a completion rate of 66.6 percent, adding another three scores on the ground. Even though he is still an underclassman, The Athletic ranked Carr No. 3 in its 2026 ranking of every college football quarterback in FBS, only behind Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss and Oregon’s Dante Moore.

Against BC last year, he passed for 299 yards and two touchdowns while completing 72 percent of his throws, so the Eagles already have a decent taste of what he is capable of with his arm.

Without Love and Price, junior Aneyas Williams is the top returning back, but the Hannibal, Mo., native only carried the ball 24 times last year, so there is a major lack of experience in that department. When he got the opportunity to hog the ball, however, he turned it into big gains, averaging 9.3 yards per carry.

The wideout corps will be an interesting room to see pan out, as the Fighting Irish raked in a pair of former Ohio State wide receivers from the portal in 6-foot-4-inch Quincy Porter, ESPN’s No. 61-ranked transfer player this cycle, as well as Mylan Graham. Both are sophomores but didn’t receive much playing time for the Buckeyes.

The program also lost tight end Eli Raridon, who was drafted by the New England Patriots after hauling in 32 receptions for 482 yards in 2025, which ranked third on the team, leaving senior Ty Washington and sophomore Jack Larsen as the notable returners in the room.

In the trenches, Carr is fortunate to have four of his five starting offensive lineman from a year ago protect him this season as well. That includes Ashton Craig, Anthonie Knapp, Guerby Lambert, and Joe Otting.

Defense

Of every team in FBS, Notre Dame will return the most overall defensive production from last season — 77 percent to be exact — which is a huge advantage these days, as cohesiveness among college football programs is becoming increasingly nonexistent.

That includes its top five overall tacklers from last season, consisting of linebacker Drayk Bowen (67 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 4.5 TFLs), safety Adon Shuler (53 tackles, 1.0 sack, 3.0 TFLs, two INTs, 5 PBUs), linebacker Jaiden Ausberry (51 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 4.0 TFLs, 5 QBHs), safety Brauntae Johnson (48 tackles, 0.5 TFLs, 4 INTs, 3 PBUs), and linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (48 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 7.5 TFLs, 1 INT, 2 PBUs, 5 QBHs).

Defensive lineman Boubacar Traore, who posted a team-high 6.5 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss, will also be back as a staple in the trenches, so there really isn’t much of a soft spot anywhere.

Head coach Marcus Freeman additionally picked up three marquee defensive transfers in former Oregon defensive tackle Tionne Gray, former Pitt defensive tackle Francis Brewu, and former Alabama edge rusher Keon Keeley, all of whom are listed in ESPN’s top 100 transfer players in 2026.

Schedule

Notre Dame has a relatively lighter schedule this year with a ranking of No. 56 in FBS, according to ESPN. Its FPI (Football Power Index) heading into the year, meanwhile, is No. 3.

Some noteworthy matchups for the Fighting Irish are BYU on Oct. 17, Miami on Nov. 7, and SMU on Nov. 21.

Outlook

To put it simply, the Eagles are coming off a 2-10 campaign and expected to finish in the bottom third of the ACC this year, according to what most coaches and media are saying, while Notre Dame is a serious contender for the National Championship. You do the math.

The Game

Date: Nov. 14, 2026

Time: TBD

TV: TBD

Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.

Series history: The Fighting Irish lead “The Holy War” 18-9.

Last meeting: These two teams last met on Nov. 1, 2025, in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Notre Dame defeated the Eagles 25-10.

The Team

Head coach: Marcus Freeman

Offensive coordinator: Mike Denbrock

Defensive coordinator: Chris Ash

2025 record: 10-2

Returning starters: 14 (6 on offense, 8 on defense)

Players to watch: QB CJ Carr, WR Quincy Porter, LB Drayk Bowen, S Adon Shuler, DL Boubacar Traore, DT Tionne Gray

The School

Location: South Bend, Ind.

Founded: 1842

Enrollment (Undergraduate): 8,923

Nickname: The Fighting Irish

Colors: Navy blue and gold

Mascot: The Leprechaun

The Program

Last time beat BC: 2025

National championships: 11 (1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988)

Conference championships: None (independent)

Heisman winners: 7 - QB Angelo Bertelli (1943), QB/DB Johnny Lujack (1947), End Leon Hart (1949), HB Johnny Lattner (1953), QB Paul Hornung (1956), QB John Huarte (1964), WR/RS Tim Brown (1987)

2026 NFL Draft

RB Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals – Round 1, No. 3

RB Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks – Round 1, No. 32

WR Malachi Fields, New York Giants – Round 3, No. 74

TE Eli Raridon, New England Patriots – Round 3, No. 95

G Billy Schrauth, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Round 5, No. 160

DE Gabriel Rubio, Pittsburgh Steelers – Round 6, No. 210

Last Four Recruiting Rankings

No. 5 (2026), No. 12 (2025), No. 9 (2024), No. 12 (2023)

The Schedule

Sept. 6: vs. Wisconsin

Sept. 12: vs. Rice

Sept. 19: vs. Michigan State

Sept. 26: at Purdue

Oct. 3: at North Carolina

Oct. 10: vs. Stanford

Oct. 17: at BYU

Oct. 31: vs. Navy

Nov. 7: vs. Miami

Nov. 14: vs. Boston College

Nov. 21: vs. SMU

Nov. 28: at Syracuse

Early Opponent Preview Series:

This is the 10th story in Boston College Eagles On SI's summer preview series of all 12 regular-season opponents for Boston College football in 2026. Ensuing stories will be published throughout August.

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