First Glance At Notre Dame's 2020 Schedule
Notre Dame starts the spring semester tomorrow, and the 2020 football team will start to officially take shape.
That makes it a perfect time to take a first glance at Notre Dame’s schedule in 2020.
The record is obvious, it is the 2019 record for each opponent. Off. refers to the each team's 2019 offensive efficiency ranking according to the Fremeau Efficiency Index. Def. refers to the 2019 defensive efficiency ranking and ST refers to the 2019 special teams ranking.
The combined record of Notre Dame's 2020 opponents is 88-66, which is a bit better than the 85-69 record of the 2019 schedule. Eight of Notre Dame's 12 opponents had a winning record and made it to a bowl game this past season, one better than the 2019 schedule.
Notre Dame went 5-0 against opponents from the 2020 schedule, defeating Navy (52-20), Stanford (45-24), Duke (38-7), Louisville (35-17) and USC (30-27).
Here's a quick look at each team.
NAVY MIDSHIPMEN — The Midshipmen had quite the bounce back season, going from 3-10 in 2018 to 11-2 this past season, with its losses coming to the Irish and Memphis. Navy loses star quarterback Malcolm Perry, who rushed for 2,017 yards, passed for 1,084 yards and accounted for 28 touchdowns. The good news is both of its standout fullbacks return and seven of the top eight tacklers will also be back.
Notre Dame vs. Navy Series Record: Notre Dame leads 79-13-1 (Brian Kelly is 8-2 vs. Navy)
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS (2-10) — Arkansas is starting over after the disastrous Chad Morris era. Morris went 4-18 in less than two seasons, failing to win a single SEC game. He was replaced by Sam Pittman, who coached the Georgia offensive line the last four seasons. The three seasons prior, Pittman was Bret Bielema's offensive line coach. He can recruit, now we'll find out if he can rebuild a doormat program. One positive for the Razorbacks is the 2019 recruiting class ranked No. 20 in the country according to Rivals.
This will be the first ever matchup between Notre Dame and the Razorbacks.
WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS (7-6) — Tim Lester threw for 11,299 yards and 87 touchdown passes as the starting quarterback for the Broncos (1996-99), but he's gone just 20-18 in three seasons as the head coach. Western Michigan has made it to back-to-back bowl games, but it has not come close to repeating its success under PJ Fleck, who led the Broncos to the Cotton Bowl in 2016. WMU is 0-6 against Power 5 teams under Lester, losing those games by an average scored of 47.3 to 23.3.
Notre Dame vs. Western Michigan Series Record: Notre Dame leads 3-0 (Brian Kelly is 1-0 vs. WMU)
WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS (8-5) — The Deacons should be okay at quarterback despite the departure of quarterback Jamie Newman, who is transferring to Georgia. Sam Hartman is back after earning a redshirt season in 2019 despite throwing for over 300 yards in two of the four games he played. Hartman threw for 1,984 yards and 16 touchdowns as a freshman in 2018 before getting banged up and ultimately being replaced by Newman. The emergence of freshman running back Kenneth Walker III (579 yards) and the return of standout receiver Sage Surratt (1,001 yards, 11 TD's) means the Deacons should be really good on offense in 2020.
Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest Series Record: Notre Dame leads 5-0 (Kelly is 5-0 vs. Wake)
WISCONSIN BADGERS (10-4) — The Badgers bounced back from an 8-5 campaign in 2018 to win the Big Ten West, and they gave Ohio State and Oregon everything they could handle in the final two games of the season, both Wisconsin losses. The loss of All-American running back Jonathan Taylor (2,003 yards, 21 TD's), star center Tyler Biadasz and wide receiver Quintez Cephus (59 catches, 901 yards) to the NFL is a tough blow on offense, but the Badgers bring back eight of their top ten tacklers. The 33.5 combined TFL's for Zack Baun and Chris Orr will be hard to replace.
Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin Series Record: Notre Dame leads 8-6-2
STANFORD CARDINAL — An otherwise brutal offseason got better when 2018 All-American cornerback Paulson Adebo and talented left tackle Walker Little announced they would return in 2020. The rest of the roster was devastated by injuries and players entering the transfer portal. The defense should be at least solid next season, but the key to Stanford getting back on track is David Shaw figuring out a way to get the offensive line back on track. The skill talent is there, but the line has been abysmal.
Notre Dame vs. Stanford Series Record: Notre Dame leads 21-13 (Kelly is 4-6 vs. Stanford)
PITTSBURGH PANTHERS — Pitt moved the ball relatively well in 2019 but struggled to put the ball in the end zone. Things should be better in year two of offensive coordinator Mark Whipple's reign, especially since QB Kenny Pickett and four of the top five wide receivers returns. Pat Narduzzi's defense was outstanding against the run this season, but he'll have some key holes he'll need to fill if the Panthers are going to make a jump forward. This is especially true in the secondary.
Notre Dame vs. Pitt Series Record: Notre Dame leads 49-21-1 (Kelly is 5-1 vs. Pitt)
DUKE BLUE DEVILS — Things started off well for the Blue Devils, who were 4-2 at one point this season, and Duke scored at least 41 points in each of those four wins. The Blue Devils would not score more than 27 points in a single game the rest of the season, and it was held to 17 points or fewer four times during its late season five-game losing stretch. Duke has some weapons to work with and it has a quality defense, but it must figure out the quarterback position if it is going to get back on track.
Notre Dame vs. Duke Series Record: Notre Dame leads 4-2 (Kelly is 1-1 vs. Duke)
CLEMSON TIGERS — Clemson will likely lose star receiver Tee Higgins (56 catches, 1,115 yards 13 TD's), standout running back Travis Etienne (1,536 yards, 18 TD's) and three starting offensive linemen. The Tigers are also likely to lose start linebacker Isaiah Simmons (95 tackles, 14 TFL's) and at least five other defensive starters. But Clemson will remain loaded and will once again be a national title contender in 2020 thanks to the return of quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a loaded roster. This could be the biggest regular season game of Kelly's tenure.
Notre Dame vs. Clemson Series Record: Clemson leads 3-1 (Kelly is 0-2 vs. Clemson)
GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS — It was a rough first season for Geoff Collins, who went 3-9 in year one. The Yellow Jackets lost by at least 14 points in six games. The good news is Georgia Tech was very, very young on offense last season and it will have several new transfers on the field next fall. Fixing the defense will be priority number one for Collins this spring after his unit gave up over 30 points in six games last fall.
Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech Series Record: Notre Dame leads 28-6-1 (Kelly is 1-0 vs. GT)
LOUISVILLE CARDINALS — Scott Satterfield turned things around quickly, inheriting a program that went 2-10 in 2018 and leading them to an 8-5 record that included a bowl victory over Mississippi State in 2019. Louisville must replace star left tackle Mekhi Becton, but the Cardinals return A LOT to an offense that averaged 33.1 points per game this season. The defense will need to make a major jump after giving up 33.4 points, but nine of the top 11 tacklers return next season.
Notre Dame vs. Louisville Series Record: Series is tied 1-1 (Kelly is 1-1 vs. Louisville)
SOUTHERN CAL TROJANS — There isn't an opponent on the schedule that is harder to get a read on than USC. The Trojans return QB Kedon Slovis, who passed for 3,502 yards and 30 touchdowns as a true freshman, and despite the loss of Michael Pittman he'll have plenty of weapons to throw to and an experienced line blocking for him. Head coach Clay Helton must hire a new defensive coordinator, and if he makes a good hire the Trojans could be very dangerous next season. Whoever he hires will have a lot of talent to work with next fall.
Notre Dame vs. USC Series Record: Notre Dame leads 49-36-5 (Kelly is 7-3 vs. USC)
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/IrishMaven/
