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By Jordan Sigler
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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were left out of the College Football Playoff last year in part due to its schedule.
The Irish might have even less margin for error in the upcoming season, as college football analysts think the schedule is subpar to many Power 4 CFP contenders.
ND started off the 2025 campaign losing by a combined four points against Miami and Texas A&M. Notre Dame earned only two wins against ranked teams, USC and Pittsburgh.
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During an interview with Andy Staples of On3, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit called the Irish's schedule "embarrassing" compared to CFP contenders in the Big Ten and SEC.
“Look at their schedule, compared to what the Big Ten, the SEC go through, it’s kind of embarrassing,” Herbstreit said. “They could walk to 11-1.”
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Notre Dame faces early contests against teams that struggled in the Big Ten last year: Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Purdue. The Irish will also play Rice in Week 2 and North Carolina in Week 5, an ACC program already in some turmoil before the season.
Notre Dame faces stiffer competition in the latter half of its schedule. The Irish will travel to play BYU on Oct. 17. They'll host Miami on Nov. 7 and SMU on Nov. 21. Two losses on the schedule could again doom ND's CFP hopes.
Herbstreit thinks Notre Dame will enter the regular season motivated after being left out of the CFP last year and could win the national championship.
“I think Notre Dame can win the national title,” Herbstreit said. “Not only do they get in the playoff, I think they’ll have a bit of a chip on their shoulder.”
The Irish lost a quality game when its series with USC took a break. Programs in the ACC, Big Ten and SEC are reluctant to schedule tough non-conference games because a loss hurts their chances of making the CFP. Scheduling isn't an easy challenge for the independent program.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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