Ranking The Notre Dame 2020 Football Schedule
In yesterday’s podcast we began a look at the 2020 opponents that Notre Dame is slated to face in 2020. We broke the season into quarters and gave an overview of the toughest games, but now I’m going to rank the schedule worst to first.
An interesting note on the 2020 schedule is that Notre Dame has won the most recent matchup against all but one opponent, and that would be Clemson.
12) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks - Sept. 12
2019 Record: 2-10
Last ND Matchup: First-ever meeting
The Razorbacks fired head coach Chad Morris in-season and replaced him during the offseason with former Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman. The first-year head coach inherits some talent at spots, but overall it’s not a good roster and will need quite a bit of reloading.
Arkansas did get grad transfer quarterback Feleipe Franks from Florida, and I’m a big fan of the talent of young quarterback K.J. Jefferson. There is also some young talent at wide receiver, but the defense will be in bad shape after losing its two best players to the NFL.
11) vs. Western Michigan - Sept. 19
2019 Record: 7-6
Last ND Matchup: Notre Dame won 44-20 on Oct. 16, 2010
The Broncos have been a mid-level MAC team in the three years since its 13-1 record and Cotton Bowl appearance after the 2016 season. Western Michigan has gone just 20-18 in those seasons, but it did have a potent offense last season.
The issue, however, is WMU must replace running back LeVante Bellamy (1,472 yards in 2019), quarterback Jon Wassink (3,097 yards in 2019) and first-team All-MAC tight end Giovanni Ricci (51 catches, 642 yards, 8 TDs in 2019).
10) at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets - Nov. 14 (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta)
2019 Record: 3-9
Last ND Matchup: Notre Dame won 30-22 on Sept. 19, 2015
Year one was expected to be a tough one for the first-year head coach Geoff Collins, who had to completely overhaul the triple option roster. The year went about as expected, as the Yellow Jackets were dominated by the top opponents on their schedule. Georgia Tech lost four games by at least 22 points and seven by double digits.
Year two will be rough as well, but I think we’ll start to see some life from the program. Colins and his staff have recruited well since they arrived, and they’ve landed some transfers that should be able to provide assistance this season.
9) vs. Duke Blue Devils - Oct. 31
2019 Record: 5-7
Last ND Matchup: Notre Dame won 38-7 on Nov. 9, 2019
Duke will be an interesting team to watch in 2019. There are some talented positions on this roster, with running back and defensive line leading the way, but there are also some major talent gaps compared to a program like Notre Dame.
Running back Deon Jackson has racked up 2,034 yards from scrimmage in three seasons, and he has another 611 return yards to add to that. He’ll be one of the top backs on Notre Dame’s schedule this season, and defensive ends Chris Rumph II and Victor Dimukeke are one of the best end duos after combining for 15 sacks last season.
8) vs. Navy Midshipmen - Aug. 29
2019 Record: 11-2
Last ND Matchup: Notre Dame won 52-20 on Nov. 16, 2019
Navy returns A LOT of talent and production from its 11-2 squad, but the one big loss is extremely important. The Midshipmen must replace quarterback Malcolm Perry, who was dominant in 2019, rushing for 2,017 yards and 21 touchdowns. Those 2,017 rushing yards were a Navy record, and Perry finished his career with 4,354 yards on the ground and 40 rushing touchdowns.
Navy will need to figure out a way to replace Perry, but the return of fullbacks Jamale Carothers and Nelson Smith (1,305 combined rushing yards in 2019) should help. Navy must get a lot better on defense if it wants to upset Notre Dame this season. Its overall numbers on defense were good, but they were dominated by the good offenses on the schedule.
7) vs. Stanford - Oct. 10
2019 Record: 4-8
Last ND Matchup: Notre Dame won 45-24 on Nov. 30, 2019
Stanford is a hard team to figure out. Was last season the beginning of the end for David Shaw, or was it similar to Notre Dame’s 2016 campaign? We’ll find out this season, but Stanford’s roster has a lot of holes.
The return of quarterback Davis Mills helps, and he’ll have plenty of talented pass catchers to throw to. Stanford’s offensive line has been really poor the last few seasons, but should be better in 2020. But the problem is Stanford’s defense was brutally bad last season, and it doesn’t look to be much better this season.
6) at Wake Forest - Sept. 26 (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte)
2019 Record: 8-5
Last ND Matchup: Notre Dame won 56-27 on Sept. 22, 2018
Wake Forest could easily be higher on this list. While their defense could struggle in 2019 after losing some key players, the offense should once again be explosive. Quarterback Jamie Newman transferred to Georgia, but Sam Hartman is poised for a big year, if he can stay healthy.
Hartman will have talented weapons around him, led by wide receiver Sage Surratt, who hauled in 66 passes for 1,001 yards and 11 touchdowns in just nine games last season. Look for a breakout from rising sophomore Donavon Greene, who caught 13 passes for 249 yards as a true freshman.
Wake Forest does return one of the best edge players on the Irish schedule in Carlos Basham Jr., a 6-5, 275-pound end who had 18 tackles for loss and 11 sacks last season.
5) at Pittsburgh - Oct. 17
2019 Record: 8-5
Last ND Matchup: Notre Dame won 19-14 on Oct. 13, 2018
Pittsburgh is an interesting team to evaluate. If you just look at the numbers it’s hard to fathom how they went 8-5 last season. The Panthers ranked 112th in scoring offense last season and rushed for just 118.8 yards per game, but the return of quarterback Kenny Pickett and four starting offensive linemen provides optimism that year two of OC Mark Whipple’s tenure will be much, much better.
The Panthers will be salty on defense this season, and the fact is they have a history of giving Notre Dame fits even when the Irish are clearly the better team. I expect no different this season, although Notre Dame’s last trip to the Steel City resulted in a convincing Irish victory.
4) vs. Wisconsin - Oct. 3 (Lambeau Field, Green Bay)
2019 Record: 10-4
Last ND Matchup: Notre Dame won 31-7 on Sept. 26, 1964
Wisconsin will be tough, there is no doubt about it, but the Badgers could take a small step back this season. Head coach Paul Chryst has the Badgers rolling along very well, and their recruiting has taken a jump in recent seasons, but it’s hard for me to envision Wisconsin being better in 2020 after losing all-time great running back Jonathan Taylor.
Defensively, the Badgers return a lot of talent, but the loss of linebackers Zach Baun and Chris Orr means that unit must replace 154 combined tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 24 sacks from last season alone. That won’t be easy, but Jim Leonhard has proven to be a successful coordinator early in his career.
I’m looking forward to paying attention to the quarterback battle that is expected to occur in fall camp.
3) vs. Louisville Cardinals - Nov. 21
2019 Record: 8-5
Last ND Matchup: Notre Dame won 35-17 on Sept. 2, 2019
I assume that most won’t have Louisville as high as I have them, but this is a very, very talented roster. I also believe head coach Scott Satterfield is an excellent young coach that will get the Cardinals program rolling quickly.
Louisville needs a lot of work on defense, but the offense should be loaded and explosive in 2020. Quarterback Micale Cunningham is a dynamic run-throw player, and he’ll have a lot of weapons. Running back Javian Hawkins ran for 1,525 yards and nine touchdowns last season, and explosive wideout TuTu Atwell hauled in 70 passes for 1,276 yards and 12 scores, and he’s not only at the position.
Louisville should be able to score with people as long as it can get its line shored up.
2) at USC Trojans - Nov. 28
2019 Record: 8-5
Last ND Matchup: Notre Dame won 30-27 on Oct. 12, 2019
USC could end up being the second best team on the schedule, or the Trojans could implode by the time Notre Dame arrives in town to take them on. Assuming USC is actually allowed to play football in 2020, there is a ton of talent returning, and head coach Clay Helton has made strong coaching hires over the last two offseasons.
If quarterback Kedon Slovis can stay healthy the offense should be explosive, but if he goes down the Trojans will be in trouble. There is a lot of talent on the perimeter and in the backfield, and I expect the defense to make a big jump under first-year coordinator Todd Orlando. The secondary will still be young, but it will be arguably the most talented USC secondary in years.
Can USC actually play to its talent level? That’s the question, but Notre Dame hasn’t exactly smoked the Trojans the last two years despite them being average.
1) Clemson Tigers - Nov. 7
2019 Record: 14-1
Last ND Matchup: Clemson won 30-3 on Dec. 29, 2018
This doesn’t need much explanation. Clemson has gone 69-5 over the last five seasons, and its “worst” season was a 12-2 campaign that ended with a semi-final loss to Alabama. Clemson returns the nation’s best quarterback and arguably the best running back, and if the line can get shored up the offense should once again be one of the nation’s best.
Whether or not the Tigers continue being an elite defense remains a question mark for me. Clemson’s defensive line wasn’t as dominant last season, but most of the talent returns. The losses at linebacker and in the secondary were painful, but Clemson has recruited well in recent seasons in the secondary.
If Clemson can get its defense to make positive strides it will once again be a legit national title contender. But even if the defense takes a small step back, the Tigers are still clearly the best team Notre Dame will face this season.
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