WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT IN THE NOTRE DAME HOME OPENER: Marcus Freeman is 1-3 in home openers, with theRice Owls coming to town can the #3 Irish ​win comfortably?

Can Notre Dame avoid the Week 2 trap and make its home opener a statement?”
​If you're heading into Notre Dame vs. Rice for the 2026 home opener, the expectation is pretty simple: Notre Dame should win, win big and  win comfortably. The bigger question is how they look doing it.

I expect Notre Dame to come out fast.
After beating Wisconsin 41–13 at Lambeau Field and moving up to No. 3 in the AP Poll, the Irish have a chance to make a statement in their first game at Notre Dame Stadium.  In his first 4 seasons at the helm, head coach Marcus Freeman has lost 3 of his first 4 home openers.  Let's change that this year!


The biggest thing to watch is the running game.
Notre Dame is replacing NFL bound backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Aneyas Williams carried the load against Wisconsin with 20 rushing attempts for 90 yards and two touchdowns, but the Irish averaged only 3.5 yards per carry. Rice provides a good opportunity to get that ground attack rolling.


CJ Carr should have a big afternoon. Carr threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns against Wisconsin, and Rice's defense could have a difficult time containing Notre Dame's passing attack.


Don't completely sleep on RiceRice isn't walking into South Bend completely helpless. The Owls destroyed Houston Christian 31–3 in Week 1 and rushed for an eye-popping 465 yards on 70 attempts. Their option heavy offense is designed to chew clock and frustrate opponents.


That's actually the most interesting matchup of the game: Rice's run heavy option attack vs. Notre Dame's defensive discipline.


Notre Dame was excellent against Wisconsin's rushing attack, and the Irish have historically handled option oriented offenses extremely well. That's a bad matchup for Rice.


One thing to watch: Notre Dame's injuriesNotre Dame will be without starting safety Brauntae Johnson and defensive tackle Jason Onye, both of whom are expected to miss multiple weeks. The good news is linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is expected back after recovering from knee surgery.


Rice also lost starting running back Quinton Jackson to a significant injury, which makes an already difficult task even tougher.


My predictionThe betting line has Notre Dame favored by roughly 44.5 points, which tells you just how lopsided the expectations are.


I don't think Notre Dame needs to score 50+ to make an impression. If the Irish defense shuts down Rice's running game, Carr gets comfortable and the offensive line establishes itself, this could get ugly quickly.
My Pick: Notre Dame 49, Rice 6.


The real takeaway won't be the final score. It'll be whether Notre Dame looks like a legitimate national championship contender after two games or whether there are still enough holes underneath the No. 3 ranking to cause concern when the schedule gets significantly tougher.


And considering Notre Dame's recent history of getting punched in the mouth in Week 2 home openers, don't overlook the importance of simply taking care of business. Rice is a very different opponent from Wisconsin, but this is exactly the kind of game a playoff-caliber team should dominate.