Going into the 2021 college football season, Notre Dame has won at least 10 games in four straight years. In 2020, the Irish finished 10-2 and qualified for the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive season.
Coach Brian Kelly will be in his 12th season at Notre Dame in 2021. Both the AP Poll (No. 9) and the Coaches Poll (No. 9) had the Irish rated in the top 10 to begin the season (No. 7). Wisconsin, USC, and North Carolina are on Notre Dame’s 2021 schedule.
2021 Notre Dame football schedule: Dates, times, TV channels, scores
| OPPONENT | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV |
| at Florida State | Sept. 5 | 7:30 p.m. | ABC |
| vs. Toledo | Sept. 11 | 2:30 p.m. | Peacock |
| 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 |
Notre Dame players to watch
Notre Dame joined the ACC in 2020, but is now back to being an independent. With Wisconsin transfer quarterback Jack Coan set to take over the starting role, the Irish have big shoes to fill. After throwing for almost 9,000 yards for Notre Dame, previous leader Ian Book is currently in the NFL.
However, owing to running backs Kyren Williams (1,125 yards in 2020) and Chris Tyree, the Irish should be formidable on the ground (496 yards in 2020).
Kyle Hamilton, the safety, may be the most important player on defense. With 63 total stops, 4.5 tackles for loss, and an interception, Hamilton was named All-ACC and AP third-team All-American last season.
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 |