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Congratulations to No. 7 Notre Dame, which not only won a difficult road game at No. 20 Texas A&M, 23-13, but has already clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff.
How, you say, does that happen after one game? Well, first it’s clear they’ve got a solid defense and have updated their quarterback position with Duke transfer Riley Leonard. He’s athletic but not flashy, a small risk taker who is actually disciplined. In other words, just what the Irish need. And he’s making over $1 million this year in NIL endorsements. Think he’d get that as Duke’s quarterback if he’d stayed? Forgettaboutit!
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Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard talks with a reporter after the Irish’s victory over Texas A&M last Saturday.
He was also Mr. Clutch, leading the Irish to a late game-winning touchdown with the score tied at 13. But the other reason the Irish have clinched their spot is the horrendous weakness of their remaining schedule. Army, Navy, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois and Stanford? Seriously? How about Florida State and Clemson, who had horrible losses and appear to be extremely overrated. Only the final game against USC appears to be a game where the Irish will not be prohibitive favorites. And to boot, only three of their remaining 11 games are on the road. Finally, there’s no 13th game against a quality opponent because, of course, the Irish are not in a conference.
But with their reputation, the Irish could actually lose two games and still qualify, so for all these reasons, they are unofficially a 99% guarantee to be in the CFP at this juncture. That’s what the “computer” says here. Before you accuse me of being anti-Irish, please remember two things: First, I like this team a lot, strong defense, good coaching — a team loaded with character; and…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/congrats-notre-dame-clinching-spot-091643311.html
Author : The Providence Journal
Publish date : 2024-09-06 09:16:43
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