Written by Brenden Duffy ⏐ Writer ⏐ Twitter/X: @Brenden_Duffy
Photo by The Irish Tribune
A year after finishing 10-3 against a top-15 schedule, the Irish have a much less difficult schedule this season. According to College Football Network’s Strength of Schedule Score, Notre Dame is tasked with the 47th-hardest schedule in the nation. This is one of the reasons Notre Dame is currently tied for the 4th-best odds to finish the regular season undefeated. But as all Irish fans know, there is no such thing as an easy season. Let’s preview four of the toughest games the Irish will play this season:
Week One (08/31): at Texas A&M
The Irish head on the road to open the season in what should be the toughest away matchup all year. College Station will be buzzing all day as ESPN’s College Gameday will be in town for this primetime matchup. Kyle Field in College Station was also just rated the #1 toughest place to play by EA Sports CFB25 (take that as you will), so the Irish may have their hands full.
This is the first half of a home and home series with the Aggies. The Irish are 3-2 all-time in this matchup, dropping the most recent meeting in 2001 in College Station.
When the preseason AP Poll drops, A&M should find themselves somewhere between 20-30 while the Irish should be top-10 to open the year. The Aggies had themselves a busy offseason following the historic firing of Jimbo Fisher, which cost the program over $75 million due to Fisher’s buyout. In late November, A&M announced the hiring of Duke Head Coach and former Aggie and Irish Defensive Coordinator, Mike Elko. Last season at Duke was Elko’s first matchup against the Irish as a head coach, falling 14-21 at home.
Despite the transfers lost following Fisher’s departure, this is by far the most talented squad Elko has coached. A&M’s biggest question marks will be the offense surrounding star quarterback, Conner Weigman. Weigman enters his junior season with a real chance to be one of the first QBs selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately last season, Weigman suffered a season-ending foot injury just four games into the year. However, when he is on the field he has been sensational with a 16-2 touchdown-interception ratio and 1,875 passing yards in just nine games (eight starts). In his first career start, Weigman completed 28/44 passes for 338 yards and 4 touchdowns with no interceptions in a 28-44 loss to Ole Miss. Despite the loss, this performance showed Aggie fans they have a legit quarterback in College Station. Prior to the injury last season, Weigman had a two-game streak of 330-plus passing yards with 2-plus total touchdowns. Weigman is not much of a threat on the ground so the Irish secondary will have to be ready for this matchup. If Benjamin Morrison, Xavier Watts, and co. lock down the Aggies weapons, it could be a slow day for the A&M offense.
The defense for the Aggies is what will win them games. With one of the best front-sevens in the country combined with Coach Elko’s defensive prowess, A&M will have no issues getting to the quarterback and slowing down the run game. The true star of defense is incoming transfer from Purdue, Nic Scourton. Last season, Scourton led the Big Ten in sacks (10) while totaling 50 tackles, 15 for a loss, 3 pass deflections, and a forced fumble in just 11 games. The defensive end entered the portal as the No. 1-ranked edge rusher before committing to A&M in early January.
On the interior, Elko was able to convince NFL Draft prospect Shemar Turner to return for a senior season. The 6’4 290-pound lineman is an athletic freak who is able to play different positions on the line, but is expected to line up as a tackle most of this season. In 12 games last season, Turner posted career-highs across the board with 33 tackles, 10.5 for loss, 6 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles.
The third real threat in this front-seven is sophomore linebacker Taurean York. Last season, York totaled 74 tackles, 8.5 for a loss, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble. He was named a Freshman All-American by ESPN and selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Realistically, this is not an ideal first matchup for the Irish offensive line after losing both starting tackles to the NFL Draft. Experienced linemen like Tosh Baker and Pat Coogan should be able to do their jobs. The question marks will come with how the other, less experienced linemen perform. Expected starters Charles Jagusah, Ashton Craig, and Billy Schrauth will be tested by this ferocious front-seven of A&M.
Regardless, this primetime matchup is bound to be tight. There are no easy road games at Kyle Field and oddsmakers agree as Texas A&M is currently favored by 1.5 points. Both teams will be giving it all as each program has scheduled smaller schools following this war.
Week Five (09/24): vs Louisville
Louisville week needs to be a game Coach Freeman has circled after last season’s poor showing in this matchup. The Cardinals outperformed the Irish in all aspects of the game in a 20-33 defeat. Historically, these two programs are tied 2-2 in head-to-head matchups, with the first matchup occurring in 2014.
Similar to Texas A&M, Louisville should find themselves flirting with a spot in the top-25 to begin the year. With no real threats prior to this meeting, Louisville should be 3-0 heading into this game setting up for a possible top-25 matchup.
After losing quarterback Jack Plummer to the NFL, Coach Brohm brought in the talented and vastly-experienced Tyler Shough. Shough, 24-years old, is entering his 7th season of collegiate football. Shough spent three years at Oregon before spending the last three seasons at Texas Tech. In 27 career games, Shough has completed over 63% of his passes totaling 4,625 yards with 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Shough has shown some capability to use his feet as well, rushing for 714 yards and 10 touchdowns on 204 carries. Surrounded by an overall solid group of receivers and tight ends, Shough should be in line for a very solid season if he stays healthy. If Irish linebackers Jordan Botelho, Jack Kiser, Drayk Bowen, and Jaylen Sneed can keep Shough guessing, it should be a long day for the Cardinals Offense.
Louisville’s defense will be interesting. They have at least one solid player on each level, however there are definitely some holes, specifically on the line. The Cardinals do bring back elite edge rusher Ashton Gillotte for his senior season. As of right now, Gillotte should be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Last season, Gillotte recorded 45 tackles, 14.5 for a loss, 11 sacks (1st in the ACC), 3 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. In last year’s meeting with the Irish, Gillotte posted 3 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Irish tackles Tosh Baker and Charles Jagusah will need to have big games in an attempt to slow down Gillotte.
At the linebacker position, the Cardinals leading tackler from last season returns in TJ Quinn. In 14 games last season, Quinn totaled 92 tackles, 2 pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and an interception. He posted four games with 10-plus tackles, including a 10 tackle performance last season versus the Irish. Quinn keeps the middle of the field locked down so Riley Leonard will need to be looking outside all game.
In the secondary, the Cardinals feature another ‘25 draft prospect with cornerback Quincy Riley. During 27 appearances over two seasons, Riley has recorded 76 tackles, 14 pass deflections, and 6 interceptions including a pick-six. In last season’s meeting with the Irish, Riley totaled four tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception. Odds are Riley’s main focus for this season’s matchup will be Irish receiver Jayden Thomas. If Thomas has a slow game, expect fellow receivers Kris Mitchell and Jaden Greathouse to pick up the slack.
The biggest weakness on the Cardinals roster is the defensive line surrounding Gillotte. If Gillotte is contained, Riley Leonard should be in line for a big performance with time in the pocket. Running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price could also be heavily featured for this matchup.
Louisville is going to leave everything on the field in South Bend as they have a bye week following this game. At home, Notre Dame should be favored heading into this matchup as Coach Freeman seeks revenge on the Cardinals.
Week Eleven (11/09): vs Florida State
The toughest game of the season will occur at home week eleven versus the probable ACC champion Florida State Seminoles. If FSU can handle Clemson and Miami before this matchup, odds are they will be undefeated heading into this game. Along with the advantage of being at home, the Irish will have two weeks to prepare for this matchup while FSU will be busy focusing on North Carolina the week prior. Historically, the Noles own a 6-5 advantage in head-to-head matchups, however, the Irish have won three in a row including, most recently, a 41-38 win in 2021 in Tallahassee.
After losing their quarterback, running back, top two receivers, and three tight ends, FSU Head Coach Mike Norvell reloaded nicely through the portal bringing in a top-10 transfer class.
The most important addition was former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Irish fans should be familiar with Uiagalelei from his insane freshman performance at Notre Dame when he threw for 439 yards and 2 touchdowns in a loss. As a junior at Clemson in 2022, the Irish shut down Uiagalelei limiting him to under 200 passing yards with an interception in a dominant performance from the Notre Dame defense. Last year at Oregon State, Uiagalelei set a career high in passing yards (2,638) while throwing 21 touchdowns. He did struggle with accuracy, completing just over 57% of his passes and throwing 7 interceptions. Luckily for Uiagalelei, he will be protected by an elite offensive line featuring four seniors and a junior transfer. More than likely, Uiagalelei will receive a chance in the NFL if he has a solid season. The biggest weakness on the offense is the tight end room. Uiagalelei will have to rely on his receivers most of the time in the pass game. Similar to the A&M game, Irish defensive backs Benjamin Morrison, Xavier Watts, and co. will be heavily relied upon to slow this offense down.
Florida State will make their living on defense. Everything will start with elite edge rusher and ‘25 draft prospect, Patrick Payton. Payton will be entering his 4th year with the Noles following a career-best season in 2023. Last season, Payton totaled 44 tackles, 14.5 for a loss, 7 sacks, 10 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles. The 6’5" 255-pound defensive end typically lines up on the left side meaning the Irish redshirt freshman tackle, Charles Jagusah, could be in for a long day. The rest of Noles defense is also very formidable so Riley Leonard and co. will need to be on point all day.
This November meeting has top-25 potential featuring playoff implications. This could be a chance for ESPN’s College Gameday to visit South Bend this year.
Week Fourteen (11/30): at USC
The Jeweled Shillelagh is once again up for grabs after the Irish whooped USC last season 48-20 in South Bend. Currently, the historic rivalry favors the Irish 49-37-5. This will be the final regular season game for both sides, as USC will be wrapping up a brutal gauntlet of a schedule. They will likely face five top-25 opponents including the Irish in their first year in the Big Ten Conference.
Everything will need to go perfect for the Trojans in order to be a College Football Playoff Team this year. They should open the season as a borderline top-25 team but it is hard to project where they will be in late November.
USC and Head Coach Lincoln Riley have many questions and holes to fill on this somewhat depleted roster. The first question starts with the quarterback. It appears Miller Moss will start this season after his 372-yard, 6 touchdown performance in last season’s Holiday Bowl. However, UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava is waiting in the wings after passing for over 3,000 yards last year as a freshman. If Moss does live up to Coach Riley’s expectations, there is a real chance Maiava gets the nod as the starting quarterback.
Unfortunately for whoever the starter ends up being, they will be working with young, inexperienced receivers and tight ends. Also, besides the center position, the Trojans offensive line could be one of their biggest issues. This could be a big game for both Irish defensive lineman RJ Oben and Rylie Mills against this weaker line.
USC will have a reliable running back this season with Mississippi State transfer Woody Marks joining the Trojans this offseason. Marks comes to the Trojans with four years of SEC experience. In his time at Mississippi State, Marks split carries totaling 410 rushes for 1,883 yards and 22 touchdowns. He is also a threat as a pass-catcher with 214 receptions for 1,225 yards and 5 touchdowns. In 2020 and 2021, Marks finished 4th in the SEC in receptions with 60 and 83, respectively. As the clear-cut RB1 at USC, Marks should be in line for a career-best rushing season. As mentioned previously, he will not be running behind the strongest offensive line, however his skill should offset this issue.
USC’s defense will be something to watch after major struggles last season forced the firing of their defensive coordinator. The name to watch on this defense is nose tackle Bear Alexander. The 6’3 313-pounder is an athletic freak who could move to the edge once he is selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. After spending his freshman season at Georgia, Alexander took his talents to USC last year. As a Trojan, Alexander recorded 48 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and 4 pass deflections in 13 games. Last season’s meeting with the Irish was Alexander’s worst game of the season, posting zeroes across the board. If the Irish do that again, they should have no issues moving the ball offensively.
The rest of the USC defense is decent for now. They have a couple key guys at all three levels, however there are clearly some holes and depth issues.
As we all know the Irish do not have a conference championship after the regular season. So if the Irish are considered a “bubble” playoff team, this will be the last chance to leave an impression on the committee. While it is certain Irish players are going to enjoy the Southern California November trip, they will need to keep the intensity and focus for a potential College Football Playoff run.
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