Notre Dame Football: Ranking the Irish's Remaining Opponents

As Notre Dame heads into the back half of its season, which opponent presents the toughest challenge?

The Irish faceplanted out of the gate but have rallied from a pair of early losses to a solid 4-2 record. Crazy as it may seem, Notre Dame still holds its BCS destiny in the palm of its hand. There is absolutely no margin for error, but luckily, the remainder of the schedule sets up pretty well for the Irish.

6. Boston College Golden Eagles

Sagarin Rank: 105

Boston College has always given Notre Dame fits. This year, the Golden Eagles promise not to be too much trouble.

Boston College has yet to score more than 19 points against an FBS opponent, which shouldn’t come as a surprise for an offense that ranks 102nd in the country in total yardage. Chase Rettig is no Matt Ryan; that much is clear.

The Eagles’ lone bright spot shows up on defense, where MLB Luke Keuchly is an absolute stud. Yet, even with a consensus first-rounder in the middle, BC’s defense has allowed nearly 420 yards per game.

Facing Boston College will still present a substantial mental hurdle for an Irish team that’s been burned in the past, but in the end, Notre Dame will register a cathartic victory over its longtime foil.

5. Maryland Terrapins

Sagarin Rank: 58

Maryland is a model of inconsistency. As their constantly rotating uniforms would seem to indicate, the Terrapins are a different team every week.

They began the season with an exciting home win over Miami, but backed it up with two straight losses, including a 38-7 blowout at home against Temple.

Maryland allows more yards per play than it gains and surrenders more points per game than it scores.

The Terrapins run a balanced offense but aren't particularly dangerous with the run or the pass. On the other side of the ball, Maryland struggles to stop either. The Terrapins rank 84th in the nation in total defense, allowing over 400 yards per game.

Under new coach Randy Edsall, Notre Dame can expect a hard-fought game at FedEx Field, but in the end, the Irish will overwhelm the outmanned Terrapins.

4. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Sagarin Rank: 59

Entering the season with little fanfare, Wake Forest has bounced back from an overtime loss in Week 1 to reel off four straight wins.

The Demon Deacons' offense is the definition of one-dimensional. Tanner Price leads an elite passing attack that racks up over 300 yards per game. Unfortunately, the running attack struggles to top the century mark each week.

Initially, it seems like this offense would fare well against Notre Dame, as the Irish’s strength against the run would be neutralized. However, Wake Forest’s poor offensive line, which has already allowed 12 sacks, will ultimately spell its doom.

The Demon Deacons have been a great story so far, but they’ve already peaked. Wake faces Virginia Tech this week, followed by back to back conference road games. The Deacs will probably have two, if not three, losses by the time the Irish roll into Winston-Salem.

Notre Dame will certainly be the more talented team in that matchup, and without its wave of early season momentum, Wake Forest won’t stand much of a chance.

3. Navy Midshipmen

Sagarin Rank: 66

Notre Dame has struggled to defeat its longtime rival in recent years, but this season, the Irish’s athletic advantage will finally overwhelm the Midshipmen’s unflinching execution.

Just as any college football fan would expect, Navy leads the nation in rushing yards. The Midshipmen execute the triple option to perfection, running the same few plays regardless of down, distance or situation. It's an offense that is as predictable as it is dangerous.

Notre Dame has an excellent rush defense, but it was shredded by Air Force’s similar option attack in Week 6. The Irish are loaded with outstanding athletes, yet they’ve struggled to play with the discipline required to consistently shut down the option. Barring a revolutionary adjustment by Bob Diaco, Notre Dame will have to win this game on offense.

Navy’s weak spot lies along the defensive line. When the Midshipmen front measures up against Notre Dame, they’ll be outweighed by 50 pounds per man. The Irish must exploit this advantage and pound the ball with Jonas Gary and Cierre Wood.

2. USC Trojans

Sagarin Rank: 30

After years of one-sided dominance, USC finally ceded victory to Notre Dame last season. This year, that trend will continue.

The intimidating defense that once roamed the Coliseum is gone. USC has allowed 5.5 yards per play and 26.4 points per game this season. In their one real road test this season, the Trojans gave up 43 points in a loss to Arizona State.

Matt Barkley, Marc Tyler and Robert Woods can put plenty of points on the board, but the USC offense doesn’t have quite enough firepower to balance out its poor defense. The Trojans are 4-1, but they’ve outscored their opponents by a slim margin of just four points per game.

Notre Dame will catch USC at a pefect time. The Irish will be coming off of their bye week, and while USC will have a few extra days to prepare after a Thursday night date with Cal, the Trojans may already be looking ahead to the following week, when they host Stanford.

1. Stanford Cardinal

Sagarin Rank: 7

The Irish’s journey to Palo Alto will undoubtedly be their toughest challenge of the season, but the matchup may actually be more favorable to Notre Dame than many expect.

The Cardinal have faced a relatively weak schedule so far, but they’ve handled it as a top team should, pummelling their opponents by an average of 35 points per game.

Consensus No. 1 pick Andrew Luck leads a balanced and efficient offense that has rolled up 7.2 yards per play thus far. Even with Luck under center, Stanford is a run-first team, using a bruising ground game to set up the play-action pass.

On defense, the Cardinal have been dominant against the run. Stanford has the second-best rush defense in the nation, even with top linebacker Shane Skov watching from the sideline. The Cardinal can be vulnerable against the pass, but overall, this is an excellent defense.

Stanford will be the best team that Notre Dame faces all year, but the Irish actually match up well against the Cardinal’s schemes. Notre Dame’s defense sets up well against a pro-style system, having already held Michigan State’s pro-style attack to just 13 points. On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame’s passing attack should have some success against Stanford’s secondary.