Syracuse football’s 2026 week 13 opponent: Get to know the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The final regular-season game of the 2026 Syracuse Orange football season will be against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Playing Notre Dame is always a special occasion, especially when the Irish come to the Dome. Of course, this could end up being Syracuse’s toughest game of the season, in a year that begins with endless questions for the Orange and the highest of expectations for the Irish. With that said, let’s take a look at what we can expect from Notre Dame in 2026.

The Notre Dame head coach: Marcus Freeman

Freeman’s career has been tied to two of the top programs in college football history. The Ohio native spent his playing days at Ohio State, twice earning All-Big Ten Second-Team honors. He briefly bounced around NFL practice squads before a heart condition forced him into early retirement as a player.

Freeman quickly transitioned into coaching, spending time on the staffs at Ohio State, Kent State, Purdue, and Cincinnati. He came to Notre Dame in 2021 to be Brian Kelly’s defensive coordinator, and when Kelly bolted for LSU after that season, Freeman took over as head coach. Notre Dame’s been on the ascent ever since, culminating in a trip to the national title game two seasons ago. The Irish lost that game to Ohio State, Freeman’s alma mater, but they very much remain in the national spotlight, as Freeman has a 43-12 record as Notre Dame’s head coach.

Last meeting with Syracuse: Notre Dame 70, Syracuse 7 (2025)

There’s no need to rehash this game too much. Fran Brown made the mistake of starting Joe Filardi at quarterback. He threw two pick-sixes in the first quarter, with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in between, giving the Irish a 21-0 lead before their offense stepped onto the field. Things got even worse with Jeremiyah Love proving to be unstoppable, rushing for 171 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries. Notre Dame led 70-0 before the Orange scored a garbage-time touchdown late to avoid getting shut out in the program’s worst loss in the modern era.

Series history

Despite first playing in 1914, Syracuse and Notre Dame have just 12 all-time meetings. The programs split a set of games in the 1960s, with the remaining nine games coming since the turn of the century. Syracuse has just two wins in those nine games, a 38-12 Walter Reyes-led blowout in 2003 and a shocking 24-23 upset in South Bend in 2008. Other than that, it’s been all Irish, winning each of the last six meetings with Syracuse, all by a minimum of 16 points. However, Notre Dame has made just three appearances in the Dome, one being that 2003 Syracuse victory.

Notre Dame’s 2025 season

After losing in the national title game the previous season, hopes were high for the Irish heading into the 2025 campaign. However, a three-point loss to Miami and a one-point loss to Texas A&M derailed plans for a return trip to the CFP. Undeterred, the Fighting Irish rattled off 10 consecutive wins to finish the season 10-2. The caveat is that so few of those wins came against quality opponents. USC and Pitt were technically top-25 teams when Notre Dame beat them, but knocking off Arkansas, Boise State, NC State, and Navy didn’t move the needle much.

In the end, the Fighting Irish were controversially left out of the CFP. Freeman and the team were understandably disappointed at the decision, subsequently declining the chance to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Despite not playing in a bowl game, it was Notre Dame’s third consecutive season with at least 10 wins.

Notre Dame’s key returning players

Quarterback CJ Carr leads a long list of returning starters for the Fighting Irish. Leading a run-dominant offense last season, Carr had just 2,741 passing yards. But he also had 24 touchdown passes to just six interceptions, while completing 66.6% of his passes. Now that he has a year of experience under his belt, Carr should ready to take a step forward and become the true leader of the Notre Dame offense.

Notre Dame’s leading receiver, Jordan Faison, returns as the centerpiece of the returning corps. The Irish also get back Jaden Greathouse, who came on strong in 2024 but played just four games last season before suffering a season-ending injury. In the backfield, Aneyas Williams will step in as the starter after getting just 24 carries behind Love and Jadarian Price last season. Finally, the interior of the Notre Dame offensive line has a chance to be good with upperclassmen Anthonie Knapp, Ashton Craig, and Charles Jagusah bringing back plenty of experience.

Defensively, linebackers Jaiden Ausberry and Drayk Bowen were the heartbeat of that unit last season, and both return for the 2026 campaign. It’s a similar situation in the secondary with safeties Adon Shuler and Brauntae Johnson retaining their starting spots. Leonard Moore and Dallas Golden also bring back plenty of experience at the cornerback position. At the line of scrimmage, senior Jason Onye is a reliable defensive tackle, while defensive end Boubacar Traore led the Irish with 6.5 sacks last season. If Bryce Young can emerge at the other defensive end spot, the Irish could have something special up front.

Notre Dame’s notable additions

The Fighting Irish didn’t have a ton of glaring holes to fill, but Freeman did use the portal to supplement talent in a few areas. Wide receiver is the only position on the offense where transfers will play a big role. Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham, both transfers from Ohio State who played minor roles for the Buckeyes last year, will be in a position to start for the Irish in 2026. True freshman Devin Fitzgerald is also a young wide receiver to watch.

On the other side of the ball, the defensive line got some reinforcements from the portal. Pitt transfer Francis Brewu and Oregon transfer Tionne Gray add even more size to the interior of the line. Alabama transfer Keon Keeley also gives Notre Dame another pass-rushing option. Just in case the Irish secondary needs more help, Colorado transfer DJ McKinney has also been added to the fold at cornerback.

Notre Dame’s season outlook

There is no question that Notre Dame has national championship aspirations in 2026. The Fighting Irish, No. 4 in the AP's preseason top 25, have an experienced quarterback who some consider the Heisman Trophy favorite, not to mention a stacked defense that could be even better than the unit that gave up just 17.6 points per game last year. The team’s offensive skill players are one of the few questions facing Notre Dame, but it’s not as if there is a lack of options.

Schedule-wise, the Fighting Irish have an easy road to starting the season 6-0. After that, things could get tricky for Notre Dame. The Irish have a road game against BYU, as well as November home dates against Miami and SMU. All three of those opponents also enter the 2026 season with CFP aspirations. Notre Dame might be able to get away with one loss during that stretch, but with few places to find quality wins otherwise, another 10-2 would put the Irish very much on the CFP bubble, just as they were last year.

When and where does Notre Dame play Syracuse in 2026?

The Orange will host Notre Dame on Saturday, Nov. 28, at the JMA Wireless Dome. There is no time set for the game, which will be Notre Dame’s first trip to the Dome since 2022.

Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Syracuse 23

The Orange always has a chance at home, with Steve Angeli and company having a chance to play spoiler against his former team in the final game of the season. Syracuse did just that against Miami two years ago, so it’s not out of the question. However, even if things break well for the Orange this season, Notre Dame’s talent will be too much. Syracuse won’t lose 70-7 again, but toppling the Irish one year after that disaster is probably asking too much.

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