How every 2022 Notre Dame football opponent fared this season
All 13 of Notre Dame’s opponents have completed their 2022 seasons now that USC lost to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl Monday. The Irish end the year with wins over two teams in the final College Football Playoff Top 25 and four over teams that had at least 8 victories.
Here’s a look at how each opponent fared this year.
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Week 1: Ohio State
Result vs. Notre Dame: 21-10 win
Season record: 11-2, 8-1 Big Ten
Final CFP ranking: No. 4
Best win: 44-31 at No. 11 Penn State (11-2)
Worst loss: 45-23 vs. No. 2 Michigan (13-1)
Postseason: Lost 42-41 to No. 1 Georgia in Peach Bowl (playoff semifinal)
Synopsis: The Buckeyes made the playoff for the fifth time in nine seasons and reached the 11-win mark for the tenth straight full season.
Week 2: Marshall
Result vs. Notre Dame: 26-21 win
Season record: 9-4, 5-3 Sun Belt
Final CFP ranking: NR
Best win: at Notre Dame
Worst loss: 23-13 vs. Louisiana (6-7)
Postseason: 28-14 win over UConn in the Myrtle Beach Bowl
Synopsis: The Thundering Herd dropped three of four after the Notre Dame win, but ended the year on a seven-game win streak. All losses were to bowl teams.
Week 3: California
Result vs. Notre Dame: 24-17 loss
Season record: 4-8, 2-7 Pac-12
Final CFP ranking: NR
Best win: 49-31 vs. Arizona
Worst loss: 20-13 (overtime) at Colorado (1-11)
Postseason: None
Synopsis: Cal lost seven of its final eight games and did not beat a .500-or-better team. The Golden Bears were the only team to lose to Colorado this year.
Week 4: North Carolina
Result vs. Notre Dame: 45-32 loss
Season record: 9-5, 6-2 ACC
Final CFP ranking: NR
Best win: 38-35 at Duke (9-4)
Worst loss: 21-17 vs. Georgia Tech (5-7)
Postseason: 39-10 loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, 28-27 loss to Oregon in the Holiday Bowl
Synopsis: North Carolina won the ACC Coastal Division and reached nine wins for the first time since 2016, but lost it last four games. They beat Duke and Pittsburgh, both of which went 9-4, but finished with zero wins over teams in the final CFP Top 25.
Week 6: BYU
Result vs. Notre Dame: 28-20 loss
Season record: 8-5
Final CFP ranking: NR
Best win: 31-28 at Boise State (10-4)
Worst loss: 41-14 at Liberty (8-5)
Postseason: 24-23 win over SMU in the New Mexico Bowl
Synopsis: BYU’s season was uneven. The Cougars started 4-1, lost four straight and then won their last four games. They defeated three bowl teams in the regular season, including the Mountain West Mountain division champion Broncos.
Week 7: Stanford
Result vs. Notre Dame: 16-14 win
Season record: 3-9, 1-8 Pac-12
Final CFP ranking: NR
Best win: at Notre Dame
Worst loss: 27-20 at Cal (4-8)
Postseason: None
Synopsis: Stanford lost at least 8 games for the third straight full season and parted ways with 12-year head coach David Shaw. Stanford had two wins vs. FBS teams. It played five teams that won at least 10 games and lost to all of them
Week 8: UNLV
Result vs. Notre Dame: 44-21 loss
Season record: 5-7, 3-5 Mountain West
Final CFP ranking: NR
Best win: 58-27 at North Texas (7-7)
Worst loss: 31-25 at Hawaii (3-10)
Postseason: None
Synopsis: UNLV started 4-1 and finished 1-6, narrowly missing on its first bowl game since 2013. The Rebels fired head coach Marcus Arroyo at the end of the year.
Week 9: Syracuse
Result vs. Notre Dame: 41-24 loss
Season record: 7-6, 4-4 ACC
Final CFP ranking: NR
Best win: 24-9 vs. No. 23 North Carolina State (8-5)
Worst loss: 19-9 at Pitt (9-4)
Postseason: 28-20 loss to Minnesota in the Pinstripe Bowl
Synopsis: Syracuse reached its first bowl game since 2018, but went 1-6 after a 6-0 start. All six losses came against teams with at least nine wins. The Orange’s defeat of North Carolina State was their lone win over a top-25 opponent, but it beat three other bowl teams.
Week 10: Clemson
Result vs. Notre Dame: 35-14 loss
Season record: 11-3, 8-0 ACC
Final CFP ranking: No. 7
Best win: 34-28 at No. 13 Florida State (10-3)
Worst loss: 31-30 vs. No. 19 South Carolina (8-5)
Postseason: 39-10 win over North Carolina in ACC Championship Game, 31-14 loss to No. 6 Tennessee in the Orange Bowl
Synopsis: Clemson beat two teams in the final CFP rankings. Its three losses were to top-25 opponents. The Tigers reached double-digit wins for the 12th straight season, but were 72nd in yards per play on offense.
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Week 11: Navy
Result vs. Notre Dame: 35-32 loss
Season record: 4-8, 4-4 American Athletic
Final CFP ranking: NR
Best win: 17-14 at UCF (9-5)
Worst loss: 14-7 vs. Delaware (FCS)
Postseason: None
Synopsis: An 11-23 record over the last three seasons led Navy to part ways with 15-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo. The Midshipmen are 2-5 in their last seven games vs. Army.
Week 12: Boston College
Result vs. Notre Dame: 44-0 loss
Season record: 3-9, 2-6 ACC
Final CFP ranking: NR
Best win: 21-20 at No. 23 North Carolina State (8-5)
Worst loss: 27-10 at Virginia Tech (3-8)
Postseason: None
Synopsis: The Eagles went 1-6 to end the season and posted their worst record since 2015 (3-9, 0-8).
Week 13: USC
Result vs. Notre Dame: 38-27 win
Season record: 11-3, 8-1 Pac-12
Final CFP ranking: No. 5
Best win: 17-14 at No. 14 Oregon State (10-3)
Worst loss: 46-45 vs. No. 16 Tulane (12-2) in the Cotton Bowl
Postseason: Cotton Bowl
Synopsis: USC would have made the playoff if it beat No. 8 Utah in the Pac-12 title game. The Trojans fell to the Utes, though, for the second time this year. Lincoln Riley’s first season produced a New Year’s Six berth and a Heisman-winning quarterback (Caleb Williams), but the Trojans finished No. 124 in yards per play allowed.
Postseason: South Carolina
Result vs. Notre Dame: 45-38 loss
Season record: 8-5, 4-4 SEC
Final CFP ranking: No. 19
Best win: 63-38 vs. No. 7 Tennessee
Worst loss: 38-6 at Florida (6-7)
Postseason: 45-38 loss to Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl
Synopsis: South Carolina beat two top-10 teams to finish the regular season 8-4 and reached the eight-win mark for the first time since 2017.
