2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

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34 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW the middle of the season, and Mid-American Conference opponents are now getting added yearly, including Miami (Ohio) last season (a 52-17 Irish victory) and Ball State this year — and in 2019 both New Mexico and Bowl- ing Green were added to the docket. Of course, ending each regular season on the road at either USC (even-numbered years) or Stanford (odd-numbered years) presents its own challenge. Nevertheless, the Irish head coach is quite cognizant of the November blues and ad- dressed it voluntarily during the National Signing Day Feb. 7 when assessing this year's 27-man class. "We need to get better from 65 to 85 — that 65th scholarship to the 85th scholarship," Kelly said. "This will strengthen our football team, which sometimes goes unnoticed in the length of your season. We have to play better football in November, and that's my job. And part of this recruiting class is going to address some of those needs in November. "We play very well in September and Octo- ber … November has to be addressed through recruiting. It has to be addressed through training. And it has to be addressed in how you work your team. This will be that first stage of addressing it in terms of 65 to 85." A primary issue with scheduling is that with no conference playoff game, Notre Dame's 12-game regular season must in some ways compensate for the potential 13-game teams of the five major conference winners in order to receive a bid to the four-team playoff. At the end of the regular season, the Irish schedule might not rank as any more dif- ficult than those of other Power Five teams, but the margin for error could be less. Which brings us to … Scheduling Blueprint And The Future Now entering his 10th season as Notre Dame's director of athletics, Jack Swarbrick has had several blueprints in place with the current and future scheduling: • Navy, USC and Stanford have become "untouchables" on the slate. • Playing in NFL stadiums or big-city markets is valued, including holding the two-game series with Wisconsin (2020-21) in Lambeau Field and Soldier Field. Per Swarbrick, the feedback is positive from the student-athletes and it aids recruiting. In 2020 alone, Notre Dame will play four of its road contests in NFL stadiums (New York, Charlotte, Pittsburgh and Green Bay). "We've been to virtually every major American market in 10 years," Swarbrick said. "We haven't gotten to Houston, and we haven't gotten to Denver … and that's about it. After playing at Clemson in 2015, Notre Dame will host the Tigers in 2020 in the ACC cycle of games. The Irish and Clemson also will meet in 2022 and 2023 — the same two years the Irish will face Ohio State. Traditional games with USC and Stanford will also likely remain. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA 2018 Schedule Date Opponent Sept. 1 Michigan Sept. 8 Ball State Sept. 15 Vanderbilt Sept. 22 at Wake Forest Sept. 29 Stanford Oct. 6 at Virginia Tech Oct. 13 Pittsburgh Oct. 27 vs. Navy* Nov. 3 at Northwestern Nov. 10 Florida State Nov. 17 vs. Syracuse^ Nov. 24 at USC # at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego; ^ at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y. 2019 Schedule Date Opponent Sept. 2 at Louisville (Labor Day) Sept. 14 New Mexico Sept. 21 at Georgia Sept. 28 Virginia Oct. 5 Bowling Green Oct. 12 USC Oct. 26 at Michigan Nov. 2 Virginia Tech Nov. 9 at Duke Nov. 16 Navy Nov. 23 Boston College Nov. 30 at Stanford 2020 Schedule Date Opponent Sept. 5 vs. Navy* Sept. 12 Arkansas Sept. 19 Western Michigan Sept. 26 vs. Wake Forest+ Oct. 3 vs. Wisconsin$ Oct. 10 Stanford Oct. 17 at Pittsburgh Oct. 31 Duke Nov. 7 Clemson Nov. 14 at Georgia Tech Nov. 21 Louisville Nov. 28 at USC * at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.; + at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.; $ at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. "We want to give our team the platform to get to the College Football Playoff, and we want to have the best teams on it." NOTRE DAME DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS JACK SWARBRICK

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