An Early Look at Notre Dame's 2026 Football Schedule

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has told his team to "keep the pain" following a shafting from the College Football Playoff this past season. Instead of making a return trip to the Playoff, Notre Dame was left off, and opted to stay home instead of play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

With the 2025 season officially coming to an end nationally this week after Indiana beat Miami in the national championship, it's as good of time as any to take an early look at Notre Dame's 2026 football schedule, as it will enter the year as one of the favorites to win the national championship.

Notre Dame 2026 Football Schedule

Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin (Lambeau Field, Green Bay) - Sept. 6

Wisconsin Badgers celebrate beating LSU at Lambeau Field in 201 — Sep 3, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers players celebrate defeating the LSU Tigers by doing the Lambeau Leap following the game at Lambeau Field. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

When this game was originally signed to be played in 2020, Wisconsin was in the midst of making annual runs at Big Ten championships. Now the Badgers have fallen on hard times, going just 23-27 in its last 50 games. Head coach Luke Fickell will enter 2026 on one of the hottest seats in college football, and Notre Dame could do a lot to make it that much hotter.

Notre Dame vs. Rice - Sept. 12

Rice will bring its triple option offense to South Bend the second weekend of September, and a team that went just 4-8 this past season. This should be blowout city for the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame vs. Michigan State - Sept. 19

Pat Fitzgerald returns to Notre Dame Stadium in Week 3, a place where two of his biggest upsets have taken place. In 1995 he was a star linebacker on the Northwestern team that stunned Notre Dame in Week 1, and in 2014 he coached the Wildcats to a comeback, overtime upset of the Irish. Michigan State however has not had a winning season since 2021.

Notre Dame at Purdue - Sept. 26

Last time Notre Dame was here it was a 66-7 thrashing of the Boilermakers. 2026 shouldn't be that lopsided but then again, Purdue hasn't won a Big Ten game since 2023. This one will put a close to what should be a cakewalk of a September for the Irish.

Notre Dame at North Carolina - Oct. 3

Bill Belichick and North Carolina can't be as bad in his second year as they were in his first, going just 4-8, right? Notre Dame owns a 21-2 advantage all-time against the Tar Heels and something tells me Marcus Freeman would like to put up a big number when he and the Irish take on the NFL's greatest of all-time.

Notre Dame at BYU - Oct. 17

What could have been a Pop-Tarts Bowl matchup instead turned into a home-and-home for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. BYU may be the toughest team Notre Dame faces all year as its coming off an 11-2 season that saw it challenge for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame vs. Navy (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough) - Oct. 31

Navy has put together solid teams the last three years, but the talent and size of Notre Dame has just been too much in each of those, with Notre Dame outscoring the Midshipmen 142-27 in that span. There is no reason to not expect more of the same this time around.

Notre Dame vs. Miami - Nov. 7

Notre Dame and Miami battle in 202 — Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) throws the ball to avoid a sack against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Miami, fresh off a trip to the national championship game, gets an early November trip to South Bend. The Hurricanes will bring a high-powered offense to South Bend in what figures to be a matchup between a pair of top 10 teams entering 2026.

Notre Dame vs. Boston College - Nov. 21

The once proud rivalry has been entirely on the side of Notre Dame the last 16 years and early expectations are for 2026 to be more of the same.

Notre Dame vs. Stanford - Date TBD

Notre Dame taking on Stanford is currently listed as tentative on FBSSchedules.com, but does anyone really think Stanford, who Notre Dame went to bat to get into the ACC, is going to ditch out on the Fighting Irish?

Notre Dame vs. SMU - Date TBD

SMU has a pair of 11-win seasons in the last three years and won nine more games this past season, including a win over national runner-up Miami. This one might not get a ton of off-season publicity but should be a significant test for the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame at Syracuse - Date TBD

It'll be hard to put 70 points on Syracuse again like Notre Dame did on senior day this past November but it should be another significant mismatch in terms of talent.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway:

When Marcus Freeman says that Notre Dame needs to remember the pain of being shafted out of the College Football Playoff, that should be remembered as it starts the 2026 season against this schedule.

September provides a few-name opponents that have fallen on hard times of late and should provide a smoother start than Miami and Texas A&M in the first two weeks.

If Notre Dame wants to prove a point about 2025 in how it handles business in 2026, this is the kind of schedule that should scream 12-0 and fighting for the top seed in the College Football Playoff.