Notre Dame is entering year three under Marcus Freeman, which is a very, very important one. After some stumbles the first two years, combined with upgrades both on and off the field, the expectations are at an all time high under Coach Freeman right now. This appears to be the strongest depth of a roster that the Irish have had in quite some time.

When you break down the Notre Dame schedule, there has been a ton of debate about just how strong it is. Regardless of where you stand in that debate, every schedule has its potential pitfalls. That includes trap games, difficult opponents, and tough stretches.

Here is the full Notre Dame schedule.

August 31: at Texas A&M

September 7: vs Northern Illinois

September 14: at Purdue

September 21: vs Miami (OH)

September 28: vs Louisville

BYE WEEK

October 12: vs Stanford

October 19: at Georgia Tech

October 26: vs Navy (neutral)

BYE WEEK

November 9: vs Florida State

November 16: vs Virginia

November 23: vs Army (neutral)

November 30: at USC

TOUGHEST GAME

Designating a game the toughest right now is pretty difficult. Not because there aren’t any quality teams on the schedule, but because there are several teams on a similar level heading into the 2024 season. A lot also goes into this discussion, such as overall talent, quality of coaching, time and location of the game, as well as some other unknown factors.

That’s ultimately what makes Texas A&M such an interesting game. Not only are they the first game of the season, but also they have a brand new coaching staff. That makes preparation unique with a lot of variables to consider.

For the Aggies, they have a familiar face in Mike Elko leading the program, which may be the most unsettling part of this conversation. Elko is a tremendous coach and should be almost an immediate upgrade over the departed Jimbo Fisher, a big name who had completely lost control over the program down the stretch of his tenure.

Talent has never been an issue for the Aggies. With players like defensive end Nic Scourton, quarterback Conner Weigman, and offensive lineman Chase Bisontis, a need for direction was the biggest missing factor. Add in the home field advantage that Kyle Field creates and it makes for a very difficult game one.

TRAP GAME

Let’s quickly define a trap game: a contest where a highly-ranked team overlooks an opponent due to some outside factors. Loosely speaking, it’s a let down game against an inferior opponent.

With that in mind, Virginia feels like the team that most fits that description. The Cavaliers aren’t an overly good team but they did prove to be able to hang closely in several games last year, and score at times in high volumes. With a pretty talented quarterback room coming back and very underrated offensive line, Virginia is poised to have a couple games where they can surprise an opponent.

That game is also the week after Florida State, which might end up being the best team that Notre Dame plays all season. If the Irish beat Florida State, or if they lose, there could be a letdown coming. Add in the fact that you are heading down the stretch of the season, and that could be a potential hiccup.

SEASON PREDICTION

Call it a homer take, or just call it a confidence pick, but Notre Dame has a chance to be very good this season. The toughest games of the season are Texas A&M, Louisville, Florida State, and USC. If the Irish are able to go 3-1 in that stretch, which is very possible, then an 11-1 record should be more than attainable.