Notre Dame Football: 2017 season preview and predictions
2017 schedule
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION |
| 1 | Sept. 2 | vs. Temple | Notre Dame, Ind. |
| 2 | Sept. 9 | vs. Georgia | Notre Dame, Ind. |
| 3 | Sept. 16 | at Boston College | Chestnut Hill, Mass. |
| 4 | Sept. 23 | at Michigan State | East Lansing, Mich. |
| 5 | Sept. 30 | vs. Miami (OH) | Notre Dame, Ind. |
| 6 | Oct. 7 | at North Carolina | Chapel Hill, N.C. |
| 7 | Oct. 14 | BYE WEEK | |
| 8 | Oct. 21 | vs. USC | Notre Dame, Ind. |
| 9 | Oct. 28 | vs. N.C. State | Notre Dame, Ind. |
| 10 | Nov. 4 | vs. Wake Forest | Notre Dame, Ind. |
| 11 | Nov. 11 | at Miami (FL) | Miami Gardens, Fla. |
| 12 | Nov. 18 | vs. Navy | Notre Dame, Ind. |
| 13 | Nov. 25 | at Stanford | Stanford, Calif. |
The 2017 schedule isn’t quite as daunting as it’s been in years past, but the Fighting Irish are far from guaranteed a spot in a bowl game. If Brian Kelly can get through this schedule, though, with eight or nine wins, you can bet fans will be singing his praises for the major turnaround.
Sept. 2 happens to mark the opening game for Notre Dame against a Temple team that’s under new direction at head coach. That’s a winnable home game for the Irish. However, following that up with a contest against SEC favorite Georgia won’t be easy.
Notre Dame then hits the road for the first time of the season the next week, playing Boston College in Chestnut Hill followed by another contest away from home against Michigan State. Could that be two straight losses? It’s possible.
The Fighting Irish have four remaining games against ACC foes on the schedule — why not just join the conference already? — at North Carolina, at home against N.C. State and Wake Forest and then at Miami. Stanford and USC mark the annual Pac-12 opponents as the Irish get the Cardinal away from home and the Trojans in South Bend.
Can’t forget Navy, either.
Is this a bowl-bound squad?
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Prediction: 7-5
In my opinion, the Irish will go 7-5 and just miss Kelly’s safe zone of eight wins. Whether or not he continues as the head coach will depend on if the AD believes this seven-win campaign will be the start of an upward trend. As for the wins and losses, I think the Fighting Irish will lose two home games — USC and Georgia — and will struggle at Stanford, at Miami and at Michigan State. North Carolina, too, will be a tough test, but they squeak one out there. Can’t knock a bowl bid after a 4-8 campaign.