Notre Dame has won at least 10 games in four consecutive years going into the 2021 college football season. The Irish went 10-2 in 2020 and made the College Football Playoff for the second time. Notre Dame is set to play Toledo at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday on Peacock.
The 2021 season marks coach Brian Kelly's 12th at Notre Dame. The Irish opened the season ranked in the top 10 in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll.
2021 Notre Dame football schedule: Dates, times, TV channels, scores
Click or tap here for live scores.
| OPPONENT | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| at Florida State | Sept. 5 | 7:30 p.m. | ABC | W, 41-38 |
| vs. Toledo | Sept. 11 | 2:30 p.m. | Peacock | W, 32-29 |
| vs. Purdue | Sept. 18 | 2:30 p.m. | NBC | |
| vs. Wisconsin (Chicago) | Sept. 25 | 12 p.m. | FOX | |
| vs. Cincinnati | Oct. 2 | 2:30 p.m. | NBC | |
| at Virginia Tech | Oct. 9 | TBA | ACC Network | |
| vs. USC | Oct. 23 | 7:30 p.m. | NBC | |
| vs. North Carolina | Oct. 30 | 7:30 p.m. | NBC | |
| vs. Navy | Nov. 6 | 3:30 p.m. | NBC | |
| at Virginia | Nov. 13 | TBA | TBA | |
| vs. Georgia Tech | Nov. 20 | 2:30 p.m. | NBC | |
| at Stanford | Nov. 27 | TBA | TBA |
SCORES: See scores and stats from every college football game
Notre Dame players to watch
Notre Dame joined the ACC in the 2020 season but is back as its usual independent self. The Irish have important shoes to fill, with Wisconsin transfer QB Jack Coan set to take over the starting job. Previous leader Ian Book is now in the NFL after passing for nearly 9,000 yards for Notre Dame.
But the Irish should be strong on the ground thanks to RBs Kyren Williams (1,125 yards in 2020) and Chris Tyree (496 yards in 2020).
Defensively, safety Kyle Hamilton could be the biggest star. Hamilton earned All-ACC honors and a AP third-team All-American selection last season with his 63 total tackles 4.5 tackles for loss and an interception.
2021-22 College Football Playoff schedule
Alabama has made the College Football Playoff six times — missing only in 2019.
Here's the schedule for the 201-22 College Football Playoff.
| ROUND | GAME | DATE | LOCATION | STADIUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semifinals | Cotton Bowl | Dec. 31, 2021 | Arlington, TX | AT&T Stadium |
| Semifinals | Orange Bowl | Dec. 31, 2021 | Miami Gardens, FL | Hard Rock Stadium |
| Championship | CFP National Championship | Jan. 10, 2022 |
Indianapolis, IN | Lucas Oil Stadium |
2020 Notre Dame football schedule: Results, scores
Notre Dame went 10-2 in 2020, winning its first 10 games before falling to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. The Fighting Irish then lost to Alabama, the eventual national champion, in the College Football Playoff semifinals
| OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|
| vs. Duke | Notre Dame, IN | W, 27-13 |
| vs. South Florida | Notre Dame, IN | W, 52-0 |
| vs. Florida State | Notre Dame, IN | W, 42-26 |
| vs. Louisville | Notre Dame, IN | W, 12-7 |
| at Pitt | Pittsburgh, PA | W, 45-3 |
| at Georgia Tech | Atlanta, GA | W, 31-13 |
| vs. No. 1 Clemson | Notre Dame, IN | W, 47-40 |
| at Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA | W, 45-31 |
| at No. 19 North Carolina | Chapel Hill, NC | W, 31-17 |
| vs. Syracuse | Notre Dame, IN | W, 45-21 |
| vs. No. 3 Clemson (ACC Championship Game) | Charlotte, NC | L, 34-10 |
| vs. No. 1 Alabama (College Football Playoff semifinals) | Arlington, TX | L, 31-14 |
📈 RANKINGS: AP Top 25 Poll | Every poll, explained | AP Poll accuracy | CFP schedule
💯 MORE: College GameDay locations | Winningest teams | Coaches with most titles
