Notre Dame's Strength of Schedule: Perception Vs. Reality

A win is a win, correct?  Much is made about a team's strength of schedule, yet schedules are made years in advance. That being said, there has been a lot of talk about Notre Dame's "easy" schedule this year. Many bloggers have stated that even if ND wins seven or eight games, it will be because of their easy schedule and not because of the improvement of a young team. To me, this is an outrageous thought process.  Last year Notre Dame went 3-9 and had one of the hardest schedules in the country—yet all that was reported was how bad ND was, and rightfully so. So if they win seven or more games this year (big if), why is their perceived easy schedule the main cause? Here are a few of the nation's top teams' first two games to start the season. Ohio St.: vs. Youngstown St. and Ohio University Georgia: vs. Georgia Southern and Central Michigan Oklahoma: vs. Chattanooga and Cincy LSU: vs. Appalachian St. and Troy Texas: vs. Florida Atlantic and UTEP  ... (link)