Below is the breakdown of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Team Schedule.

Sept. 1: vs. Michigan, 7:30 pm

Notre Dame’s northern neighbor’s will be headed to the Golden Dome to face the Fighting Irish the first game of the year. With a new quarterback from Ole Miss, Shea Patterson, and a former quarterback and quarterback coach in Jim Harbaugh, the game should a great gridiron showdown. Defensively, Michigan ranked third overall last year and Notre Dame ranked forty-sixth. The Irish clearly must step up their defensive game against the new QB.

Sept. 8: vs. Ball State, 3:30 pm

This interstate matchup should be a win for the Irish but one cannot be too sure nowadays. What is odd about this meeting is that even though they are in the same state (Indiana) the two teams have never met each other on the gridiron.

Ball State had a dismal 2 – 10 record last year after missing key players like QB Riley Neal and Running Back James Gilbert. If these two are healthy, the Irish may have a good fight on their hands.

Sept. 15: vs. Vanderbilt, 2:30 pm

Vanderbilt will come to South Bend missing some key wide receivers for QB Kyle Shurmur to pass to. For Vandy, to get a win against the Irish, they need to have stepped up their receiving and defense in the off season. The Fighting Irish may have a great day on offense due to the lackluster Vanderbilt defense who gave up tons of yards last season.

Sept. 22: at Wake Forest, TBA

The Irish beat Wake Forest last year BUT the Demon Deacons did managed to score 37 points. Kendall Hilton, rookie quarterback for Wake Forest, will have a hard time against the Fighting Irish defense. This is an away game for the Irish but it should be a win. Possibly an ugly win but a win.

Sept. 29: vs. Stanford, 7:30 pm

The Irish will face Stanford at home this year. If you're a Notre Dame fan then you know that we hate Stanford with the passion. That said, we have to give credit where credit is due and Stanford has an exceptionally strong team. After a loss to Stanford last year Notre Dame has to work even harder in order for them to win the Legends Trophy. The Notre Dame defense will have to step up in order to stop Heisman contender Bryce love.

Oct. 6: at Virginia Tech, TBA

This will be Notre Dame's debut visit to Virginia Tech. there is so much hype and Fanfare around this event that it is said that the hotels are sold out already for the game. This should be a very interesting game for the Irish. if Virginia Tech quarterback Josh Jackson can stay out of academic trouble, this could be a very close game.

Oct. 13: vs. Pittsburgh, 2:30 pm

If you remember last year, Pittsburgh won the final game of the season against Miami. This was all due to freshman quarterback Kenny Pickett. Pickett will be the starter this year as Pittsburgh faces the Irish. On the defensive side of the ball Pittsburgh has to step up their game if they think that they're going to stop the rushing and passing game of the Fighting Irish.

Oct. 27: vs. Navy at San Diego, 8 pm

Notre Dame will face the Midshipmen this year and will be a test of Navy's Malcolm Perry. Perry, is the new quarterback for Navy and while he is proved his toughness, but the true test of his football skill will be against the Irish and their talent-laden defense

Nov. 3: at Northwestern, TBA

Once the Irish come back from their West Coast Swing, they will face Northwestern. The Northwestern Wildcats lost their all-time leading rusher, Justin Jackson, and their quarterback is coming off a serious leg injury. While the Wildcats may struggle on offense they will make up for it on defense. with one of the toughest defenses in college football last year, Notre Dame's offensive line has to do their job and protect the QB and make holes for more rushing yards.

Nov. 10: vs. Florida State, 7:30 pm

Florida State will be coming to South Bend in the cool of fall which could prove to be advantageous to the Fighting Irish. Star quarterback Deondre Francois will be back at the helm after an injury suffered at the Alabama game last year. Irish have to bring their a game in order to defeat this ACC powerhouse.

Nov. 17: vs. Syracuse at New York, 2:30 pm

This game will be held in New York’s Yankee Stadium and is dubbed the Shamrock Series. In order for the Orange to have a chance against the Irish, they have to keep QB Eric Dungey healthy. Dungey has been out at the end of the seasons that he has played due to injuries. Notre Dame should take advantage the Syracuse defensive weakness and exploit their secondary.

Nov. 24: at USC, TBA, TBA

Finally, we come to the USC Trojans. This longtime Irish rival wants payback and they want it bad. After suffering a shocking defeat last year, USC wants to even the score. The Trojans lost their star QB to the NFL draft. Hopefully they will figure out the person at the QB spot buy then. Notre Dame has to be tough on both sides of the ball if they think they can handle the onslought that will be brought by the Trojans.

Note: Special shoutout to @bamamama and @pete! Their passion for the Alabama Football program inspired me to share my thoughts about my favorite team. Roll Tide!