Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Non-conference (10): Miami (Ohio) (9-22), Stetson (15-16), Indiana State (18-15), Santa Clara (26-12), Army (1615), Cornell (13-18), Delaware (19-14), Bryant (19-12), North Dakota State (2410) and Canisius (20-14). Look for Bryant (Dec. 9) and Santa Clara (Nov. 22) to challenge the Irish at Purcell Pavilion as formidable underthe-radar non-conference opponents. These games will be important for a team experimenting with as many rotations as Brey can remember during his time at Notre Dame. With three freshmen expected to contribute this season, these games carry added value in 2013-14. ACC (8): North Carolina State (24-11), Virginia Tech (13-19), at Florida State (1816), at Wake Forest (13-18), Boston College (16-17), Clemson (13-18), at Miami (29-7) and Georgia Tech (16-15). Notre Dame seemed to lose one road game not expected each year in the Big East. If that trend carries over to the ACC, trips to Miami, Florida State and Wake Forest could make for a disappointing conference loss. For the Irish to assert themselves as an ACC contender, they must win these contests. Bubble Games These contests could go either way. If Notre Dame is to accomplish Brey's goal of making the NCAA Tournament a fifth straight season, it will hinge on the results of these contests. Non-conference (1): at Iowa (25-13). The Hawkeyes were recently picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten preseason media poll and are an especially difficult team to beat at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where Notre Dame travels for the Big Ten-ACC Challenge Dec. 3. The matchup with the Hawkeyes begins a brutal three-game stretch against Big Ten teams during a 19-day period. ACC (8): Duke (30-6), at Georgia Tech (16-15), at Maryland (25-13), Virginia (23-12), North Carolina (25-11), at Boston College (16-17), at Virginia (23-12) and Pittsburgh (24-9). The league bubble games feature four road games and four at home, where the Irish have been exceptional under Brey. Notre Dame plays four teams twice this season, and three opponents fall into two categories based on where the respective game is played. No. 24 Virginia, however, is viewed as a rising foe in the ACC and should give the Irish a challenge at home and on the road. These games will determine ACC Tournament seedings and, ultimately, Notre Dame's worthiness with the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Steals These are the outings Notre Dame will win if it is a top-10 team this year. These matchups also provide opportunities for the Irish to pick up style points they can point to when presenting a résumé to the selection committee. Non-conference (2): vs. Indiana (29‑7) and vs. Ohio State (29-8). Both these tests will come at neutral sites, although the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis is a de facto home game for Indiana. A matchup against No. 11 Ohio State will serve as the program's lone game at Madison Square Garden this season and will be a strong barometer to assess the Irish.