1986 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1986 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
ConferenceIndependent
Record5–6
Head coach
Offensive schemeWishbone triple option
Defensive coordinatorFoge Fazio (1st season)
Base defense4–3
CaptainMike Kovaleski
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
1986 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Penn State       12 0 0
No. 2 Miami (FL)       11 1 0
No. 20 Virginia Tech       9 2 1
No. 19 Boston College       9 3 0
Tulsa       7 4 0
Florida State       7 4 1
Army       6 5 0
Southwestern Louisiana       6 5 0
Southern Miss       6 5 0
Temple       6 5 0
Pittsburgh       5 5 1
Rutgers       5 5 1
Cincinnati       5 6 0
Notre Dame       5 6 0
Syracuse       5 6 0
South Carolina       3 6 2
Tulane       4 7 0
West Virginia       4 7 0
Louisville       3 8 0
Navy       3 8 0
Wichita State       3 8 0
East Carolina       2 9 0
Northern Illinois       2 9 0
Memphis State       1 10 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1986 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Lou Holtz, the Fighting Irish compiled a record of 5–6. The team played home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.