Syracuse set to host juggernaut Notre Dame in season finale

Notre Dame routed the Orange in South Bend on national TV, winning 70-7, and will travel to Central New York to wrap up the regular season.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown in the first half of a NCAA football game against Syracuse at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in South Bend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Editor's Note: During the summer, we're going to be doing a team-by-team preview of Syracuse football's 2026 opponents. Our last opponent preview was for Boston College, and we continue our series today with Syracuse's matchup against Notre Dame on Nov. 28.

The Fighting Irish earned their name in the 2025 season.

Entering the year at No. 6 in the AP Poll, the expectations were on for Notre Dame to repeat a trip to the National Championship.

A look back at Notre Dame's 2025 season

Their season got off to a turbulent start, nearly crashing on the runway. They lost by 3 at No. 10 Miami, then followed the loss with another at home against Texas A&M by a single point.

By this time they had fallen to 24th in the AP Poll. In this era of the CFP, two losses, especially early on, is practically a death sentence for any playoff hopes. They then went on a run, winning 10-straight games, including wins against ranked Pitt and USC, and climbed back to ninth in the AP Poll.

Despite having  a top-2 scoring offense and top-10 defense, Notre Dame was snubbed from the playoffs. Clearly one of the best teams in the nation, with a collective loss differential of four points did not make the playoffs. Miami, the team that beat them week 1, was awarded the final at-large bid. Following the snub, Notre Dame withdrew their name from Bowl consideration making it the first time the team did not participate in the postseason since 2016. 

Previewing Notre Dame's 2026 season

Coming off that kind of season, it’s difficult to reflect and try to find a way to do better heading into 2026. The lofty expectations remain.

Notre Dame ranks third on ESPN’s Power Index and most win totals have the Fighting Irish sitting at 11.5. Personnel-wise, Notre Dame looks virtually unchanged. The Fighting Irish pulled in an eighth ranked transfer class of seven players.

Of the 22 starters on both sides of the ball, four are newcomers. Under center they have returning sophomore, CJ Carr who carried a 168.1 passing rating. The loss of RB Jerimayah Love will be felt, but last year's third string back, Aneyas Williams, will take his spot.

Lead receiver from last season, Jordan Faison, will be joined by two Ohio State 4-stars, Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter.

On the other side of the ball, their secondary will be led by returning cornerback Leonard Moore who snagged five interceptions last year. The front seven will be led by Boubacar Traore The defense welcomes two transfer starters, Colorado corner D.J. McKinney and Pitt D-lineman Francis Brewu.

Prediction

Syracuse and Notre Dame have a long history together.

Notre Dame looks geared to prove the committee wrong in 2026, and one of those wins will come at the expense of the Orange. The Irish take this game 45-7.

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