Notre Dame Football: Previewing the 2013 Schedule

Notre Dame had a spectacular season in 2012. The Fighting Irish came into the regular season unranked, yet finished in the BCS National Championship. Their triumphant undefeated season was the first fans have seen in a generation, leading most major sports news outlets to declare: The Irish are officially back.

Repeating the success of last season will be no easy task. Notre Dame has lost several key players to the NFL draft, and there was much speculation that head coach Brian Kelly would leave the team after an interview with the Philadelphia Eagles—a position that was filled by another Kelly, Chip Kelly of the Oregon Ducks, to be exact. 

With the No. 2 Rivals.com ranked recruiting class in the country—dubbed the Irish Mob 13—Notre Dame is clearly determined to show the world that last season was not a fluke and the Irish are indeed back.  

Now that the dust has settled on 2012, let's take a look at who's on deck for 2013. 

Temple Owls

When: Saturday, Aug. 31

Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Ind.

With new head coach Matt Rhule at the helm, the Temple Owls prepare to face Notre Dame for the first time in South Bend, Ind.

Temple struggled last season, finishing 2012 at 4-7. After some major staffing changes, including the aforementioned head coach, the Owls will attempt to rebuild in 2013. Rhule hired four new assistants and changed responsibility for two others remaining with the program. New staff members come from Central Florida, Penn State and Tennessee-Chattanooga. 

As far as season openers go, I don't anticipate this to be a stressful one. The last time the Owls made it to a major bowl game, it was 1934. 

Michigan Wolverines

When: Saturday, Sept. 7

Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich.

The rivalry between Notre Dame and the Michigan Wolverines is storied and fierce, dating back to 1887. Both are elite programs in the world of college football, and their meeting is rarely a disappointment to fans of the sport. 

The 2013 game will mark second-to-last annual meeting for the historic foes, as Notre Dame opted out of games scheduled in 2015-17 after the Fighting Irish joined the ACC. 

Rivals.com ranks Michigan's 2013 recruit class fifth in the nation, so the Wolverines are on the upswing after a disappointing season. Last year the Irish beat the Wolverines 13-6, so there is little doubt Michigan will be out for vengeance come Sept. 7, when Notre Dame comes to the Big House. Predictions from Michigan experts, however, do not see the team returning to its former glory just yet. 

Purdue Boilermakers

When: Saturday, Sept. 14

Where: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Ind.

Notre Dame and Purdue have met a total of 81 times in the course of their historic rivalry, which began in 1899 when the Boilermakers were still a part of the Western conference. 

Who can forget last year's nail-biting Irish 20-17 victory over the Boilermakers? Notre Dame is currently on a five-game winning streak over its instate rival. The Fighting Irish are also the historically dominate school, their all-time record against Purdue standing at 54-25-2. 

No one really expects the Boilermakers to defeat the Irish in 2013, but no one really expected them to give Notre Dame a run for their money in 2012, either.  

Michigan State Spartans

When: Saturday, Sept. 21

Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Ind.

In yet another historic college football rivalry, Notre Dame will take on the Michigan State Spartans in the fourth game of its 2013 season. In typical Notre Dame rivalry fashion, the feud dates to the early part of the 20th century, the first match occurring 1918. 

Notre Dame still holds the edge in the series, its total record with the Spartans standing at 34-27-1.

The Irish have won the last two games against Michigan State, and with MSU stars Le’Veon Bell and William Gholston reportedly departing for the NFL draft, the Spartans do not appear poised to defeat the powerful Irish in 2013.  

Oklahoma Sooners

When: Saturday, Sept. 28

Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Ind.

In one of the defining moments of Notre Dame's 2012 season, the Fighting Irish upset 10-point favorite Oklahoma 30-13. 

The sometime rivals have faced each other on and off since 1952. Though Oklahoma has been a dominate force in college football, Notre Dame holds a commanding lead overall—defeating OU in all but one of the 10 games it has played against the Sooners. 

Oklahoma has lost its star quarterback Landry Jones to the NFL draft. It is not yet clear whether Blake Bell—the current heir apparent—will in fact start for the Sooners. If Bell does indeed start, the Irish should be on alert, he's a proven red-zone commodity—hence "Belldozer"—but how he will perform outside the 20-yard line is not yet known. 

All in all, this should be one of the more anticipated games on the Irish schedule. Oklahoma finished out last year's postseason ranked 12th, and will most likely reenter the AP rankings not far below its 2012 postseason ranking. 

Arizona State Sun Devils

When: Saturday, Oct. 5

Where: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

This year's Shamrock Series will see Notre Dame take on the Arizona State Sun Devils. ASU went 8-5 last year, winning the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against fellow Notre Dame opponent, Navy. This year, however, looks to be more difficult for the Sun Devils, who will face Stanford and USC in the weeks immediately preceding their big game with the Irish. 

While it should be fun to watch the two teams play in Cowboys Stadium, even ASU's writers do not predict them to win this game. 

USC Trojans

When: Saturday, Oct. 19

Where: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.

The classic USC / Notre Dame rivalry returns to South Bend this year for the 85th matchup between two of college football's greatest titans. 

Notre Dame bested USC in its final game of the regular season last year, 22-13, ensuring the Irish a BCS title berth. In an ironic shift of fortune, the game saw the preseason No.1 ranked Trojans (unranked at game time) defeated by the (at the time) No.1 ranked Irish (unranked in the preseason). 

The last four years have seen a wax and wane between these historic foes, each winning a game every other year. So if history is any indicator, the Irish are due for a loss at the hands of USC. The Trojans, however, do not appear to be as intimidating as they were in years past.

Still helmed by embattled head coach Lane Kiffin, the Trojans finished their regular 2012 season unranked and lost the Sun Bowl to Georgia Tech. Adding to their woes was the massive hemorrhage of highly-ranked recruits, which saw their 2013 class drop from No. 1 to 7 on Rivals.com. Combine all of this with the loss of veteran quarterback Matt Barkley and it is clear that 2013 will be a rebuilding year for the Trojans. 

Air Force Falcons

When: Saturday, Oct. 26

Where: Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Notre Dame will travel to Colorado Springs to take on the Air Force Falcons. The Irish have an impressive record against the Falcons, beating them 23 of the 29 times the schools have played in a rivalry that dates back to 1964. 

2007 marked the last time Air Force beat Notre Dame, besting the Irish 24-41. The next time the two schools met—and their most recent matchup to date— was in 2011. Notre Dame, perhaps more determined due to the 2007 loss, beat the Falcons by a whopping 59-33.

Last year the Falcons went 6-7, so a victory against the Fighting Irish would be unlikely, but stranger things have happened. 

Navy Midshipmen

When: Saturday, Nov. 2

Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Ind.

Last year saw Notre Dame dismantle the Navy Midshipman 50-10 in their first game of the regular season, played in Dublin. 

Navy has been one of Notre Dame's oldest rivals, first meeting in 1927 and playing regularly since then. The Irish have a commanding lead overall against the Midshipman, defeating them 73 of the 86 times the teams have met, and only tying once. 

Last year Navy went 8-5, but it's not anticipated to put up a major fight against the Irish. 

Pittsburgh Panthers

When: Saturday, Nov. 9

Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Last year's game against the Panthers definitely takes the prize for most stressful game of the season. Heavily favored Notre Dame entered the fourth quarter down 20-6. The Irish rallied to tie the game, which went into triple overtime. During the second OT, Notre Dame fumbled the ball, and all Pitt had to do was kick a field goal for the win. The kick—no doubt watched between the fingers of covered eyes by many Irish fans—went wide and the Irish went on to victory. 

There is little doubt that both teams will come into the game with an axe to grind, but hopefully the Fighting Irish will not repeat their 2012 performance and win without three overtimes. 

Brigham Young University Cougars

When: Saturday, Nov. 23

Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Ind.

Last year Notre Dame struggled with the fierce BYU defense, but prevailed 17-14. This year the Irish hope to do the same, minus the nail-biting score. 

The BYU matchup is relatively new as far as rivalries go at Notre Dame. The schools fist met in 1992 and have played a total of seven games since then. Again, the Fighting Irish have the commanding lead in the series, wining five of the seven games. 

I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being a tight game. 

Stanford Cardinal

When: Saturday, Nov. 30

Where: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, Calif.

Who doesn't remember the 2012 Stanford game?

The controversial 20-13 win saw veteran Irish quarterback Tommy Rees connect with TJ Jones for a touchdown in overtime. Stanford attempted to tie to force a second overtime, but after four straight runs by Cardinal running back Stepfan Taylor, his final effort was ruled short of the end zone. Notre Dame stadium erupted in cheers as the ruling on the field stood after an official review. 

No doubt, the Cardinal will be out for blood this year.

They will be in a reasonably good position to get it, too. Stanford ended the 2012 season ranked seventh by the AP and won the Rose Bowl. That was supposed to be their rebuilding year, too.   

This will most likely be the toughest game on the Irish schedule.