Notre Dame football has a bye week at the right time. On the latest day episode of A to Z Sports Notre Dame, I talked a trio of important bye week topics.

After a 28-24 loss to the BYU Cougars, the Fighting Irish sit at 6-1 and No. 4 in the AP poll. With Miami on the horizon, the margin for error is now much smaller for head coach Marcus Freeman and his staff.

I don’t think the Irish need an abrupt overhaul. Subtle changes to the offensive and defensive schemes, along with a few personnel decisions, could help this team become the best version of itself at the most important time of the year.

That includes getting three talented true freshmen more involved over the final five games of the 2026 regular season.

Notre Dame’s offense needs more deception

My biggest criticism of this team is the lack of creativity on offense. Under offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, the unit is static. It offers very little pre-snap movement and even less creativity after the snap.

Play action barely exists. In 2025, Denbrock posted an 18.3% play-action rate as a play caller, which was one of the lowest in college football. Against BYU, Notre Dame ran play action on just three of 51 dropbacks, a 5.88% rate.

Add in minimal motion and almost no RPO, and the tells are easy for a defense to read. When quarterback CJ Carr puts the ball in a running back’s belly, he is handing it off. Linebackers can trigger immediately, and safeties can crash the box.

The offense also spends too much time hunting the perfect play. Too often, the Irish stare at the sideline with five to seven seconds left on the play clock. More play action, more RPO, and more pre-snap motion would put defenses in far less comfortable spots.

Defensively, Notre Dame has to figure out how to pressure the quarterback without Boubacar Traore. After Traore was ejected for targeting, the Irish mostly stuck with four-man rushes.

They blitzed only 25% of the time against BYU, even though it worked when they did. This secondary is built for man coverage, and man coverage makes blitzing from the second level much easier. Notre Dame also has a dynamic blitzer in linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, who should be the top snap-getter in that room when healthy.

Three freshmen Notre Dame has to unleash

With seven games played, the staff is running out of reasons to keep its most talented freshmen on the sideline.

RB Jonaz Walton

Walton played just 10 snaps against BYU, mostly in short-yardage spots. The game before, he set a Notre Dame freshman record for total yards after running for 181 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries against Stanford, including a 97-yard score. He leads the team in rushing despite ranking third in carries, and he averages 7.5 yards per carry.

I understand the trust factor in pass protection. At 5-9, 214 pounds, though, Walton is the most explosive back on the roster. Nolan James Jr. can stay RB1. Walton has to be RB2, and Aneyas Williams should not out-snap him again.

TE Ian Premer

The tight end room has 20 receptions for 140 yards in seven games. That is not good enough at a program known for great tight end play. Cooper Flanagan is a terrific blocker, but he isn’t a consistent receiving threat.

I’m not asking for Premer to start or play 50 snaps. I want five to 10 snaps a game, with about five plays designed for him as the first read. At 6-6, 245 pounds, he is the best chance to jumpstart this group, especially with the slot production so inconsistent from week to week.

DE Rodney Dunham

Once Traore left the BYU game, the Irish had no answer with four rushers. The 6-4, 242-pound Dunham has only 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and nine total tackles, but the flashes are real. He should be on the field in obvious passing situations, whether Traore plays or not. Notre Dame will need that juice against Darian Mensah, Kevin Jennings, and hopefully playoff quarterbacks.

Predicting Notre Dame’s final five games

After the bye, Notre Dame faces Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Preparing for the triple option while everyone looks ahead to Miami is annoying, but I expect the Irish to win comfortably.

Then comes Miami on Nov. 7 in South Bend. The Hurricanes now carry the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll, and it will also be a massive recruiting weekend. I understand the pessimism, but I don’t think Miami is perfect. With home-field advantage, I am picking Notre Dame to win, and the margin doesn’t matter.

From there, the path clears. Boston College has struggled under coach Bill O’Brien. SMU and Jennings deserve respect, but Notre Dame has the clear talent advantage. Syracuse, under coach Fran Brown, simply isn’t a great team.

I’m predicting a 5-0 finish, an 11-1 record, and a College Football Playoff berth. If the Irish use this bye week the right way, that path is there.