​PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 10: Jelani Thurman #45 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a 7-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter during the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium on October 10, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images Notre Dame’s 2026 college football schedule has been called many thing over the last eight months, but “tough” or anywhere near the word “hard” was certainly not among them. Still, some have mentioned that this Irish schedule could look a lot trickier as the season progresses. While they may eventually be true, it may not matter all that much (except for message boards and social media).Notre Dame took a minute or two to get going against the Wisconsin Badgers in the season opener, but eventually the Irish whooped them 42-13. Notre Dame welcomed the Rice Owls to South Bend for the home opener, and sent them back to Texas with a 52-0 loss. Although the Irish were big favorites against Michigan State, they got their best shot — and still beat the Spartans 27-10. The Irish were once again massive favorites over a Big 10 team, and they more than covered against Purdue with a 49-10 win that was never that close. Notre Dame was better than a three touchdown favorite against North Carolina, but ran into a bit of a clunker (and rain) and beat the Tar Heels 37-26. After two weeks on the road, Notre Dame returned to South Bend and the homecooking did them well as the irish destroyed the Stanford Cardinal 58-7. Next up for the Irish is a top 10 matchup in Provo, Utah, against the BYU Cougars.Notre Dame is likely to be favored in every game this season, and they are still a popular pick to win the national championship. Their strength of schedule probably isn’t going to matter much, but let’s keep track of it anyway.OPPONENTRESULTRECORDAP TOP 25Wisconsin BadgersBYE4-1VOTESRice OwlsL vs East Carolina 28-121-5–Michigan State SpartansL vs Illinois 38-372-4–Purdue BoilermakersW vs Minnesota 41-133-3–North Carolina Tar HeelsW vs Pitt 21-173-2–Stanford CardinalL vs Notre Dame 58-72-4–BYU CougarsW vs Iowa State 24-105-08Navy MidshipmenW vs Tulsa 34-262-3–Miami HurricanesBYE5-03Boston College EaglesBYE2-3–SMU MustangsBYE4-124Syracuse OrangeL vs Virginia 28-252-3–Join the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:Improved notifications system!Fewer adsCreate community postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsDownload the SB Nation app on iOS or Android.