Notre Dame 2024 projections: 3 teams that could give the Fighting Irish a hard time this season
The irish-football" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Notre Dame Fighting Irish need to have an excellent season if they want to make the College Football Playoff. They are expected to be one of the best teams in college football this season, but they have some tough games on their schedule. Let's take a deeper dive into the toughest games for the Fighting Irish in the 2024 college football season.
3 teams that can give Notre Dame difficulties this season
1. Texas A&M Aggies
The first game of the season sees the Notre Dame Fighting Irish head to Kyle Field to take on the 20th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. Texas A&M is one of the best teams in the country, specifically in the passing game. Starting quarterback Conner Weigman is showing that he can do well offensively, which is a great sign for the team.
The Aggies could be a tough team to take down. The opening game of the regular season is always a crapshoot as you don't know what exactly to expect out of teams coming into the season. Some teams just come out of the box hot while others struggle. The last time the Irish opened the season on the road (2022 at Ohio State), they lost so it could be a trend happening here as well.
2. Florida State Seminoles
The Fighting Irish are hosting the Florida State Seminoles on November 9 and the early look-ahead line has this game as Notre Dame -4.5 right now. These teams have played 11 times throughout the history of college football and the Seminoles hold a 6-5 advantage.
Looking at this Seminoles team, they brought back a lot of key players but have quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and running back Roydell Williams joining the program through the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Florida State can dominate defensively as it was 18th in college football last season with just 19.3 points allowed per game and that includes giving up 63 points to the Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl. The Irish are going to be in a tough spot to win this game as it gets closer.
3. USC Trojans
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish end the regular season on the road against the USC Trojans. Notre Dame currently is a 3.5-point road favorite for this game.
But with USC coach Lincoln Riley's abilities on the offensive side of the ball and the hiring of defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn for this season, the Trojans can be a force with Miller Moss under center. With the game being in Southern California as well, this is going to be a tough game for the Irish to win.