Notre Dame Football: Ranking the 2012 Schedule from Easiest to Toughest

Notre Dame did not quite have the season it would have liked last season, finishing with another 8-5 record in 2011. This year, the Irish return seven starters on both sides of the ball, hoping to take that next step forward in Brian Kelley's third season.

While the talent on the roster may not be the issue, the schedule certainly is. Notre Dame will play several ranked teams this year, with many of those big matchups taking place on the road. If the Irish are going to compete for a BCS bowl game or even finish the season ranked, they will certainly have earned it in 2012.

With the college football regular season less than three months away, here are the easiest and most difficult opponents for the 2012 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

12. Vs. Wake Forest

Last year's record: 6-7

Returning starters: 10

Wake Forest only returns three starters on offense from a team that was extremely inconsistent a year ago. The Demon Deacons won five of the first seven games, but then lost five of the last six in 2011. Who knows what team we are going to get this season, but you have to like Notre Dame in this matchup, especially at home.

11. Vs. Navy (In Dublin, Ireland)

Last year's record: 5-7 

Returning starters: 12

The only thing that I'm concerned about in this game is that Notre Dame is traveling well over 3,000 miles to take on the Midshipmen. But still, the Irish have won 45 of the last 48 meetings against Navy; you have to like those odds heading into the contest.

10. At Boston College

Last year's record: 4-8

Returning starters: 18

Boston College returns more starters than any other team in the ACC, but I'm not sure if that is a good thing. This team could not do anything right on offense last season, and the Eagles lost their third straight against the Irish. These two teams usually play a tight game, but you have to believe that the talent of Notre Dame will prevail.

9. Vs. Pittsburgh

Last year's record: 6-7

Returning starters: 13

Pittsburgh is a team that can once again give Notre Dame fits. The Irish have won the last two meetings, but both have been decided by less than a touchdown. The Panthers return eight starters on offense, including quarterback Tino Sunseri and star running back Ray Graham. This is not a team the Irish should sleep on late in the season.

8. Vs. Purdue

Last year's record: 7-6

Returning starters: 15

Purdue is a sleeper team in the Big Ten this season, as the Boilermakers return eight starters on offense and seven on defense. This team was balanced last season, but has to play with more consistency if it would like to take that next step in 2012. Still, Notre Dame has won six of the last seven meetings against Purdue.

7. Vs. Miami (In Chicago, IL)

Last year's record: 6-6

Returning starters: 10

Miami has issues on offense with seven starters missing, but does return six starters from a defense that ranked third in the ACC in points allowed. The Hurricanes may still be a good year or two away from where they would like to be, but you can never count this program out in any game, especially on a neutral field.

6. Vs. BYU

Last year's record: 10-3

Returning starters: 15

BYU may not receive much love early on in the season, but this is a team that won 10 games last year, including going toe to toe with Texas and TCU. The defense was ranked 14th in the country, and the Cougars return eight starters from a balanced offense. This is by far no gimme for the Irish, a team that has won four of the six overall meetings against BYU.

5. Vs. Stanford

Last year's record: 11-2

Returning starters: 13

The Irish lost the last three meetings against Stanford, but Andrew Luck is no longer on the roster. Still, this is an extremely talented team on defense and returns a two-time 1,000 yards rusher in Stepfan Taylor. Notre Dame has only lost one home game against the Cardinal since 1992, but don't just assume because Stanford lost its star that this team will just fall off the college football map again.

4. Vs. Michigan

Last year's record: 11-2

Returning starters: 14

Notre Dame has lost five of the last six games against the Michigan Wolverines, but the last three meetings have been decided by four points each. After a very disappointing loss last season, the Irish will have home crowd in their favor, but the defense must do a better job of containing quarterback Denard Robinson (940 total yards and eight total touchdowns in the last two games combined against Notre Dame).

3. At Michigan State

Last year's record: 11-3

Returning starters: 12

Michigan State played its worst game of the season against Notre Dame last year, although you can expect a much different result this time around in East Lansing. The Spartans will have to discover some offensive production, but they do return eight starters from a defense that ranked sixth in the country a year ago. It should be interesting to see how a young Irish quarterback stacks up against this defense.

2. At Oklahoma

Last year's record: 10-3

Returning starters: 15

Notre Dame is 8-1 against the Sooners all-time, but the last matchup between these two teams was in 1999. Oklahoma is one of the more complete teams in the country and is led by one of the best quarterbacks in the country, Landry Jones. A trip to Norman is never an easy task, and it's going to take a great game on every side of the ball to pull off an upset.

1. At USC

Last year's record: 10-2

Returning starters: 15

Notre Dame has lost nine of the last 10 meetings against the USC Trojans and will likely make it 10 out of 11 this season. USC is just too good offensively for many teams to keep up with, and it has a very underrated defense that ranked 45th in scoring defense last year. It doesn't help that the Irish have turned the ball over a combined nine times in the last two meetings, but it will take more than winning the turnover battle to come out victorious. The odds are stacked against Notre Dame in this matchup, which is why this is the most difficult game of 2012.