All is lost. Strength of Schedule has no meaning or purpose. Despair and sorrow reign forever.
| Irish Schedule | Week 13 Opponent | Score | Record |
| Texas Longhorns | Texas Tech Red Raiders | L 48-45 | 4-7 |
| Virginia Cavaliers | Virginia Tech Hokies | L 23-20 | 4-8 |
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Georgia Bulldogs | L 13-7 | 3-9 |
| Massachusetts Minutemen | @Buffalo Bulls | W 31-26 | 3-9 |
| Clemson Tigers | @South Carolina Gamecocks | W 37-32 | 12-0 |
| Navy Midshipmen | @Houston Cougars | L 52-31 | 9-2 |
| Southern Cal Trojans | UCLA Bruins | W 40-21 | 8-4 |
| Temple Owls | Connecticut Huskies | W 27-3 | 10-2 |
| Pittsburgh Panthers | Miami Hurricanes | L 29-24 | 8-4 |
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Duke Blue Devils | L 27-21 | 3-9 |
| Boston College Eagles | @Syracuse Orange | L 20-17 | 3-9 |
| Stanford Cardinal | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | W 38-36 | 10-2 |
Irish Opponent Week 13 Record: 5-7 Irish Opponent Season Record: 77-65
The Irish loss to Stanford made pretty much any resume discussion moot, but rivalry week was not kind to the Irish playoff cause.