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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have rolled through the first half of their schedule, but Stephen A. Smith is not ready to give them much room for error.
On ESPN’s “First Take,” Smith was asked whether the Fighting Irish is the biggest threat to Georgia for the national title.
“Looking at Notre Dame right now, they just beat Stanford 58 to 7. They’re 6-0 on the season,” Smith said. “I’m not telling you anything that I didn’t tell Coach Marcus Freeman to his face. They better not lose that Miami game.”
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"I don't think Notre Dame has an excuse to lose to anyone but Miami."
—@stephenasmith on whether Notre Dame is Georgia's biggest threat for the national title 👀 pic.twitter.com/KyQ7yTd9lk
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 16, 2026
Smith pointed to the team’s strength of schedule as the reason the margin for error is so thin. He acknowledged that BYU and SMU are quality opponents but argued that the Irish’s independent status raises the stakes.
“If you’re Notre Dame, I don’t believe you should be able to afford more than one loss on this season because you’re not in a conference,” Smith said. “Your schedule ain’t the strongest in the world.”
He then made it clear just how confident he is in the Irish.
“In my opinion, even though BYU is good, knowing what Notre Dame brings to the table, I don’t think Notre Dame has an excuse to lose to anyone,” Smith said. “And I don’t believe Notre Dame is going to lose to anybody but Miami. I don’t even know if they’re going to lose to Miami.”
Notre Dame has given Smith plenty of reason for confidence. The No. 2 Irish routed Stanford 58-7 last Saturday for their 16th straight win, every one of them by double digits. Freshman running back Jonaz Walton ran for 181 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown, while C.J. Carr threw for three scores.
The schedule gets tougher right away. Notre Dame visits No. 8 BYU on Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium, where the 5-0 Cougars will try to hand the Irish their first loss.
After a neutral-site meeting with Navy, the Irish host Miami on Nov. 7 in a game that could shape the College Football Playoff picture. SMU comes to South Bend on Nov. 21.
Georgia sits atop the AP poll at No. 1, and Notre Dame’s path to staying in that conversation starts in Provo.
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