Five ranked teams from last year? We'd run through that schedule and still have time to beat Ohio State again.

That SP+ nonsense is exactly why the game has gone soft. Back in the day, you measured a schedule by the rivalries you had to survive every single year, not some computer printout. Notre Dame doesn't have to navigate a true conference gauntlet anymore, and they haven't for decades. I remember when we had to go through Lincoln and Norman and College Station every single season in the old Big 12, real road environments that would eat a team alive. Playing five teams from a list based on last year's formula? That doesn't mean a thing. Where's the week-in, week-out brutality? Where's the history? They get to hand-pick their "tough" games while avoiding the grind the rest of us endured. It's a glorified independent schedule built for TV, not for testing a team's soul. Give me the 1998 Red Raiders schedule, having to face Ricky Williams at Texas and then Michael Bishop at K-State back-to-back, any day over this modern, sterilized slate. That was football. This is just scheduling for the playoff committee.

SP+ is a newfangled stat that doesn't mean a thing. Back in the day, strength of schedule was about rivalries and road games, not computer rankings.

Five teams in the SP+ top 30 ssounds good until you realize three of them are Louisville, Clemson, and Florida State, who all have major questions. The Irish avoid any elite SEC opponent and their OOC is a joke. That's not a Power Four contender's schedule, it's a path built for 10 wins. Their toughest road game is at USC, and that defense is a sieve. This slate gets exposed in the playoff.

we play tougher every week

Five of those teams lost their best players to the draft or the portal. Those rankings are based on last year, not the team they're actually playing. Our Big Ten schedule week in and week out is way more physical than anything they'll see.

We play in the Big Ten, every week is a top 30 fight, and we actually win ours

We play in the ACC, and our schedule is ALWAYS tougher than people give us credit for lol

SP+ is a fake stat for teams that don't play real schedules. Notre Dame's slate is soft.

Weak? Try looking at the actual opponents. Half those "top 30" teams lost their best players to the portal or the draft. Their SP+ ranking is based on last year's roster, not the team we're actually playing. Our schedule is plenty tough, especially with the road trips we have to make. Meanwhile, your conference schedule is a joke with maybe one real game. We play a national schedule every single year and don't get to hide in a weak division.

That SP+ stat is a total mirage, and you know it. Last year's rankings don't mean a thing for this season, especially when you look at who those teams actually are. They're playing a depleted Florida State, a Louisville team that lost its coach and quarterback, and a Texas A&M squad with a brand new staff. Calling that "tough" is a stretch. Their non-conference is a joke outside of that road game, and the ACC is down across the board. Compare that to a real schedule like USC's, where we're going into the Big Ten gauntlet. We'll see more top-30 teams by October than they'll see all season. Their path is set up for them to pad their record, and everybody in the recruiting world sees it. It's hard to sell croots on big games when your marquee opponents are in a down year. Our future schedules are loaded with perennial powers, not just teams riding last year's analytics.

Notre Dame's schedule strength is inflated by those SP+ rankings. Their actual opponents went a combined 7-9 in bowl games, and their road slate lacks a true top-15 test.

SP+ is a fraud METRIC

Our schedule is way tougher

We'd handle that schedule easy, unlike Tulsa who can't even crack the top 100

Five teams from LAST YEAR? That's their argument? Notre Dame's schedule is a JOKE and they know it.

Our schedule is loaded with SEC teams, not a bunch of mid independents

That stat is a total mirage and you know it. SP+ from LAST YEAR? That's ancient history, man. Half those teams lost their quarterbacks and their entire offensive lines. You're living in the past. Look at the actual 2024 schedule. It's a joke. They play one, maybe two legitimate playoff contenders all year, and they'll be udnerdogs in both. The rest is a parade of mid-tier ACC teams and service academies. Calling that a "tough slate" is pure fantasy. Every Power Four team in the SEC or Big Ten faces a gauntlet weekly. Notre Dame gets a couple of big TV games and a whole lot of filler. Their reputation for a tough schedule is a media creation, always has been. They benefit from nostalgia, not reality. If any other program tried to sell that schedule as "tough," they'd get laughed out of the room. It's a path to 10 wins built on sand. Let's see them play in a real conference week in and week out, then we can talk about schedule strength. Until then, it's a weak lineup designed to protect their brand, not test their team.

We play tougher every week lmao

SP+ is a joke. Their schedule is soft.

SP+ is just computer nonsense. Back when we played in the old Big 12, you measured toughness by facing Nebraska and Oklahoma every year, not some algorithm. Notre Dame hasn't played a real schedule since they had to earn their way into the Fiesta Bowl.

We play a real schedule every year in the CCIW, not a bunch of overrated names. SP+ is just a computer, it doesn't measure heart or our fight song.

Weak? That schedule is a total joke and you know it. Five teams from last year's rankings means nothing when half of those programs are in complete rebuild mode. We play in the GLVC where every single week is a battle, no free passes. Notre Dame gets to coast through a soft independent lineup while we're grinding out conference wins on the road. Their so-called "tough" games are at home with all the advantages, and they still find ways to choke. Our Peacocks would run through that schedule undefeated, no question. Last year's stats are irrelevant, it's about who you play now, and their slate is full of teams that won't finish ranked. They pad their record every year and then act shocked when a real physical team shows up. We'd welcome that schedule tomorrow and be in the playoff conversation. It's all hype and no substance, typical for a program that lives off its name from fifty years ago.

SP+ is preseason junk

We play in the Big 12, where every week is a battle, not just five decent games

SP+ is a computer gimmick that never saw a down of football. You know what was tough? Our '89 schedule when we played real regional rivals every week. Notre Dame used to earn their reputation on the field against USC and Michigan every year, not by having a computer spit out a favorable number. Five teams from last year doesn't mean a thing, because last year's team is gone with the portal. Their schedule is weak because they don't have to grind through a real conference season anymore. It's all manufactured.

Five of those teams lost their best players to the portal or the daft. Their rankings are based on last year, not the team we'll actually see on the field. Our non-conference slate is tougher than anything they've got lined up.

Their SP+ ranking is inflated by playing a soft schedule, they haven't faced a top-15 offense yet

SP+ is for stat nerds