As Kirk Herbstreit gets ready to sit in Provo for three hours to preview BYU vs Notre Dame with “College GameDay,” the analyst has an issue with one of the teams he’ll be discussing at length.
Notre Dame, which was controversially left out of last year’s playoff for national champion runner-up Miami before opting out of the Pop-Tarts Bowl against BYU, later signed a memorandum of understanding that would guarantee the Fighting Irish a spot in the CFP if they finished in the top 12. The problem, according to Herbstreit? Notre Dame’s schedule is not simpatico with that of a playoff team.
“Notre Dame plays two games where they’re gonna be challenged,” Herbstreit said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “[BYU] where they’re gonna be favored and Miami at home. Think about what Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State and these teams and what they’re dealing with. So that cannot continue, that’s an embarrassment and incredibly unfair. But this week they’re gonna face a hostile environment. A lot of people sleep on Provo, Utah. They have a great fanbase, they have a big stadium, they believe they’re a top-10 team in the country. Their defense is flying around. This’ll be a lot of fun to see the BYU defense against CJ Carr.”
“Notre Dame plays two games where they’re going to be challenged…think about what Alabama and Georgia and Ohio State and these teams with what they’re dealing with. That cannot continue. That’s an embarrassment and incredibly unfair.” – Kirk Herbstreit pic.twitter.com/Lw4vxkGxty
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 16, 2026
Herbstreit’s words, while pointed, will ultimately be rendered moot after this season. With the presumed expansion to a 24-team playoff, it’s hard to imagine Notre Dame being left out in the future regardless of scheduling. Notre Dame’s 0-2 start with losses to Miami and Texas A&M ultimately torpedoed its playoff hopes in 2025-26.
Notre Dame, in truth, does have a schedule it looks like it should traipse through. Yet, it is sixth in strength of record and first in FPI, two key metrics ESPN utilizes. Strength of record shows the chances of another top-25 team matching a given team’s record, whereas FPI shows a team’s index rate vs the rest of FBS. Where Notre Dame falls short is strength of schedule, where it ranks 60th, right above Miami and SMU.
The other problem for Notre Dame is the lack of possession of a crystal ball. Five of its six games so far this season have come against Power Four opponents; they just happen to be beleaguered programs. Wisconsin was agreed upon in 2017 and was meant to be played in 2020 before COVID-19 led to its rescheduling, Michigan State and Notre Dame agreed to play in 2024 as Jonathan Smith came into town, and Stanford is a team Notre Dame does and should play annually.
While the chorus with Notre Dame is always “join a conference,” football has been able to continue to exist independently. It has little incentive to do otherwise at this point.
Notre Dame football schedule 2026
Below is a look at Notre Dame’s full 2026 schedule, including available start times and TV channel information:
All times Eastern
- Sunday, Sept. 6:Notre Dame 41, Wisconsin 13
- Saturday, Sept. 12:Notre Dame 52, Rice 0
- Saturday, Sept. 19:Notre Dame 27, Michigan State 10
- Saturday, Sept. 26:Notre Dame 49, Purdue 10
- Saturday, Oct. 3:Notre Dame 37, North Carolina 26
- Saturday, Oct. 10:Notre Dame 58, Stanford 7
- Saturday, Oct. 17: at No. 15 BYU | 7:30 p.m. on ABC (Fubo)
- Saturday, Oct. 24: BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 31: vs. Navy | Noon on ABC or ESPN (Fubo)
- Saturday, Nov. 7: vs. No. 7 Miami | 7:30 p.m. on NBC (Fubo and Peacock)
- Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Boston College | 3:30 p.m. on NBC (Fubo and Peacock)
- Saturday, Nov. 21: vs. No. 20 SMU | 7:30 p.m. on NBC (Fubo and Peacock)
- Saturday, Nov. 28: at Syracuse | TBD
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kirk Herbstreit tees off on Notre Dame’s ’embarrassment’ of a schedule
About the Author
