Notre Dame entered the 2026 college football season with high expectations, a relatively favorable schedule and a familiar television home.
The Fighting Irish were ranked fourth in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll and fifth in the coaches poll after finishing 10-2 in 2025, winning their final 10 games.
Despite that strong finish, Notre Dame was left out of the 12-team College Football Playoff and opted not to play in a bowl game, one year after making it to the national championship game.
That makes 2026 an especially important season for the Fighting Irish, who will need to navigate an independent schedule while positioning themselves for the expanded playoff.
Now, with quarterback CJ Carr – among the early-season Heisman Trophy favorites – in his second season as the starter, head coach Marcus Freeman’s Fighting Irish look primed to make a run at their first national title since 1988.
And with three preseason Top 25 opponents on the schedule, Notre Dame will have opportunities to strengthen its playoff résumé along the way.
Notre Dame games on NBC
NBC remains the primary television home for fans looking to watch Notre Dame football in 2026.
This marks NBC Sports’ 36th straight year broadcasting the Fighting Irish, and the partnership extends through the 2029 season.
Seven games will air on NBC, including all six of Notre Dame’s home games, highlighted by the Nov. 7 prime-time showdown against Miami. UM beat Notre Dame 27-24 in the 2025 season opener.
Notre Dame games on other TV networks
Start times and TV networks for Notre Dame’s road games are typically announced six or 12 days before kickoff.
That’s due to college football’s scheduling process, which allows networks to prioritize the most compelling matchups as the season progresses.
We do know the start time for the Oct. 31 neutral-site game against Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts: noon ET on either ABC or ESPN.
Notre Dame’s schedule breakdown
The Fighting Irish have six home games (Rice, Michigan State, Stanford, Miami, Boston College and SMU), four road games (Purdue, North Carolina, BYU and Syracuse) and two neutral-site games (Wisconsin and Navy).
By conference, it’s six games against ACC opponents (Stanford, UM, BC, SMU, UNC and Syracuse), three against the Big Ten (Wisconsin, Michigan State and Purdue), two against the American (Rice and Navy) and one from the Big 12 (BYU).
Three of Notre Dame’s 12 opponents – No. 7 Miami, No. 14 BYU and No. 19 SMU – were ranked in the AP’s preseason Top 25 poll.
The schedule includes a challenging stretch from mid-October through early November that features the road game at BYU and the neutral-site matchup against Navy before the Fighting Irish welcome Miami for what figures to be one of the season’s most highly anticipated games.
Notre Dame’s 2026 schedule
- Sept. 6: vs. Wisconsin at Lambeau Field (W, 41-13)
- Sept. 12: vs. Rice (W, 52-0)
- Sept. 19: vs. Michigan State, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
- Sept. 26: at Purdue, 2 p.m. (Peacock)
- Oct. 3: at North Carolina, TBA
- Oct. 10: vs. Stanford, 3:30 p.m. (NBC)
- Oct. 17: at BYU, TBA
- Oct. 31: vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium, noon (ABC or ESPN)
- Nov. 7: vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
- Nov. 14: vs. Boston College, 3:30 p.m. (NBC)
- Nov. 21: vs. SMU, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
- Nov. 28: at Syracuse, TBA
All times are ET