FIW Roundtable: What will be Notre Dame’s toughest game in 2025?

We are back with another roundtable, this time looking at which Notre Dame opponent will be the toughest game of the year.

This won’t include potential College Football Playoff matchups, as we have no idea how that will play out this fall. What we do know is who the Irish have for the first twelve games, and then they can focus on the postseason. Many believe that Notre Dame should make the 12-team CFP field, so another successful year for Marcus Freeman could be in store.

While not all games will go the way we like it to, the Fighting Irish Wire staff of Tim Healey, Dave Miller and Michael Chen predict which game will be Notre Dame’s toughest this fall.

Tim Healey - contributor

As much as I worry about the matchup against Texas A&M, I think the season opener on the road against Miami (FL) is the scariest game for Notre Dame.

A quarterback with little experience in CJ Carr, starting on the road. The possible hangover from losing the title game to Ohio State. The weight of preseason expectations coupled with Miami's talent level. All of these factors could lead to a loss for the Irish.

I also have some concern about Boise State, a playoff team last season, but the Broncos don't seem to have the talent of Miami or Texas A&M, and that game is in South Bend.

Dave Miller - contributor

The season opener at Miami will be difficult for a few reasons.

It will be CJ Carr's first collegiate start, on the road, against a revamped Hurricanes secondary, and Mario Cristobal's team overall is an ACC contender. But I think the Fighting Irish take care of business in South Beach.

The game Irish fans should be concerned about is against Texas A&M, which surrendered 198 rushing yards to ND in last year's meeting in College Station. Expect the Aggies run defense to be more stout this season.

The A&M offense struggled to move the ball for most of the night against ND's tough defense last season, and I expect Chris Ash's unit to be stingy again. But I also think the Aggies will be improved offensively if quarterback Marcel Reed takes the next step in his development.

Michael Chen - site lead

While traveling to Miami and hosting Texas A&M is going to be tough, they’re early in the year, and the coaching staff has been preparing for them all season. Some of the game plan could change for the Aggies, as they’ll have an addition game of data to review, but after faltering early over the past two seasons, I think Freeman is laser focused for this season.

Boise State will pose a challenge, but I think it’s the USC game that will be the most difficult. This game can be all about emotions, and with it potentially being the last home game against the Trojans since there is no agreement past 2026. Rivalry games can be tricky, and with the tough portion of Notre Dame’s schedule past them, this game could trip up the momentum.

While I don’t think the Irish will lose, it won’t be one of the easier games they’ll play this fall.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: FIW staff predict Notre Dame’s toughest game this fall