Alarming is the wrong word but it's certainly eye-opening when you see a respected college football analyst like Joel Klatt look at Notre Dame's 2024 outlook and have only great things to say.
Part of Klatt's reasoning and part of the reason many believe Notre Dame will be so good in 2024 is because of who the Irish play.
Although Notre Dame doesn't open in Ireland like a year ago, it does have three marquee games that will go a long way in determing its College Football Playoff fate in the freshly expanded 12-team playoff.
So as we count down the days to the season actually kicking off, here is a mid-August look at each Notre Dame contest this fall with a simple sentence or two about each game.
Nick's Quick Thought: This game was already going to be difficult enough and the early injury to left tackle Charles Jagusah in Notre Dame's fall camp only furthers that. I don't know where I'm going on picking the winner, but I do know points will be extremely hard to come by on both sides (yes, I'm telling you to bet the under 47 right now). If Notre Dame wins this then the entire fall sets up beautifully.
Week 2 - vs. Northern Illinois
Nick's Quick Thought: Michael Turner, Garrett Wolfe, and Jordan Lynch are all gone from the Huskies. Although Northern Illinois has a solid defense, this one shouldn't be much of a test in the home opener for Notre Dame.
Related shoutout to Andy Garcia, the new voice of the Northern Illinois Huskies. Andy hired me for my first internship in sports radio almost two decades ago and will be on the call as the play-by-play man for the Huskies broadcast team. I couldn't be happier for one of the absolute best people I've ever met in this business.
Nick's Quick Thought: This is one of those games that is just annoying if you're a Notre Dame fan. Purdue is likely going to be awful this season but you know if it's going to get up in a big way for one game this fall, this will be the one. I fully expect this game to be a lot more difficult than it should.
Week 4 - vs. Miami (Ohio)
Nick's Quick Thought: Miami (Ohio) was the MAC champion last year and played Appalachian State close in its bowl game. This is one of those games you expect Miami to come in, give its best shot and things to be closer than you'd like into the third quarter before Notre Dame pulls away.
Nick's Quick Thought: Last year this game was played in primetime in Louisville. It was Notre Dame's third-straight primetime affair with Duke and Ohio State coming the week before. This probably could have gotten primetime billing, but I like the idea of it being played in a less enhanced setting before Notre Dame hits its first bye week.
Week 6 - Bye Week
Nick's Quick Thought: This comes at a great time for Notre Dame as October starts and brings a fairly light portion of the schedule. It's essentially the first of two bye weeks to help get right before Notre Dame welcomes Florida State to town in a month.
Nick's Quick Thought: Notre Dame's first game against Stanford with the Cardinal as a member of the ACC shouldn't be competitive. Then again, it shouldn't have been the last time Stanford played at Notre Dame back in 2022, either.
Week 8 - at Georgia Tech (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
Nick's Quick Thought: Why on Earth if you're Georgia Tech would you give up a true home game to play Notre Dame in an NFL venue that will significantly take away the home crowd feel? Notre Dame gets a gift from the hosts as the Yellow Jackets continue to improve.
Nick's Quick Take: Notre Dame has outscored Navy 111-41 in the three years Marcus Freeman has been on the coaching staff. This one shouldn't be competitive as it leads to Notre Dame's second bye week on the year.
Week 10 - Bye Week
Nick's Quick Take: A very well timed bye week for Notre Dame as perhaps the biggest game takes place the following weekend in South Bend. Notre Dame is at home resting up while Florida State has to host an oftentimes pesky North Carolina team this week.
Nick's Quick Take: Did Florida State ruffle some feathers a bit too much in the ACC? For years, the ACC would give teams a bye week before playing Notre Dame. Instead, Florida State not only has to go to Notre Dame after playing North Carolina, but has to do so the first weekend of November. Those are all small things that each favor Notre Dame's chances.
Week 12 - vs. Virginia
Nick's Quick Take: Virginia brings what is likely to be one of the worst teams in the ACC to Notre Dame Stadium for senior day in South Bend. Like many senior days of late, it shouldn't be competitive, but it will be a nice sendoff for former Notre Dame weapon Chris Tyree who transferred to Virginia this past off-season.
Nick's Quick Take: Alright, the Shamrock Series isn't going away anytime soon but can someone explain this to me...who had the bright idea to send Notre Dame to play a primetime game in New York against a very physical Army team the week before the Irish head to Los Angeles to take on USC? I know it happened in 2010 with Notre Dame winning both games but that doesn't mean I like the idea.
Week 14 - at USC
Nick's Quick Take: This is one of those years I hate Notre Dame playing USC at the end of the season and wish this was an October game. Say what you want about Lincoln Riley, the man gets offense. I expect the Trojans to be clicking in a big way offensively by the end of the year, but still have plenty of doubts about the USC defense.
It's an incredibly favorable schedule for Notre Dame but not without some tough points in it. I fully expect Notre Dame's hands to be very full in the opening and closing games, but Marcus Freeman and company couldn't have asked for things to set up better in those middle 10 games of the year.
The team should be good, but the schedule certainly lends itself to Notre Dame doing big things in 2024.
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