Notre Dame Football Schedule 2024: Early Predictions and Major Upset Alerts!

The age-old belief that college football teams make their biggest improvements between the first and second games of the season hasn’t exactly held true for Notre Dame in recent years. Take 2022, for example: after a near-upset of No. 2 Ohio State on the road, the Irish fell at home to underdog Marshall, 26-21. Or look back at 2021, when Notre Dame barely survived at home against Toledo, 32-29, following a gritty overtime road win at Florida State. Even in 2018, a playoff-bound Notre Dame team struggled to put away Ball State, winning just 24-16.

But history aside, Marcus Freeman – now in his third year as Notre Dame’s head coach – is preaching improvement this time around. Heading into Saturday’s home opener for the fifth-ranked Irish (1-0) against Northern Illinois (1-0), Freeman emphasized longer, high-intensity practices to keep his team focused after last weekend’s 23-13 road win over Texas A&M.

“They [the Irish players] probably were wondering, ‘Hey, are we going to pull back because we had a big win?’” Freeman said on Thursday. “They knew right away that we doubled down.”

The highly anticipated matchup – the first-ever between the Irish and Huskies – kicks off at 3:30 p.m. EDT on NBC/Peacock. The Gameday SportsBeat pregame radio show will run from noon to 2:30 (wsbtradio.com/96.1 FM), with Inside ND Sports’ Postgame Takeaways show on YouTube following late Saturday night.

Last Saturday, Northern Illinois dominated with a 54-15 win over Western Illinois, a struggling FCS team now 0-2 after getting thrashed by Indiana, 77-3. The Huskies put up an eye-popping 706 yards of total offense, their third-highest mark in school history.

Here are four key players to keep an eye on in this matchup:

Notre Dame WR Beaux Collins

A 6-foot-3, 206-pound transfer from Clemson, Collins led the Irish in receiving last Saturday with 5 catches for 62 yards. After missing spring practice due to finishing his degree, Collins spent his weekends playing catch-up with quarterbacks, building chemistry that began paying off in the season opener. Expect him to be an even bigger part of the passing game this week as offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock continues to evolve the Irish offense.

“We did a lot of film study,” Collins said, “I took it upon myself to watch some of [Riley] Leonard’s highlights from Duke and fit it into our game here at Notre Dame.”

Northern Illinois RB Antario Brown

Antario Brown, the 5-foot-10, 219-pound senior from Savannah, Ga., has been a consistent force for Northern Illinois, rushing for 2,592 yards and 22 touchdowns in his career. He’s also landed on multiple preseason watch lists. However, he’s struggled against Power 4/5 competition, and Saturday’s game offers him a chance to prove himself against Notre Dame’s improving run defense.

Notre Dame DE Jordan Botelho

Jordan Botelho, a 6-foot-3 defensive end from Honolulu, had a standout game against Texas A&M, registering 6 tackles and 4 QB hurries. After getting leaner and stronger this offseason, Botelho looks poised to be a key playmaker for the Irish defense.

“He has a lot of natural talent,” Freeman said. “But talent and skill are two different things. He’s turned his talent into a true skill set, and it’s becoming production for our defense.”

Northern Illinois DT Devonte O’Malley

Devonte O’Malley, a 6-foot-2, 293-pound defensive tackle, was once a zero-star prospect but has transformed into one of the Huskies’ top players. He leads the team in career sacks (14.5) and has shown impressive versatility, even intercepting a pass last season. O’Malley will test Notre Dame’s still-gelling offensive line, looking to disrupt the Irish offense.

With both teams coming off strong Week 1 performances, Notre Dame looks to break its trend of early-season struggles in Game 2 and build on the momentum from their big win over Texas A&M. Meanwhile, Northern Illinois hopes to capitalize on its offensive explosion and give the Irish a fight in South Bend.

2024 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

A breakdown of Notre Dame’s 2024 schedule.

Avnish Singh