College Football Playoff prediction: Why No. 7 seed Notre Dame is prepared to reclaim the throne

There are no doubts left about Notre Dame’s authenticity. Thanks to an inexplicable early season loss to Northern Illinois, and the fact that their independent status precludes them from competing for a conference title, the Fighting Irish flew under the radar all year despite amassing an 11-1 record and largely dismantling every team that has stepped on the field against them. 

That streak of dominance has continued through the College Football Playoff where Notre Dame entered as a No. 7 seed. The Irish led by 27-3 late into the fourth quarter of their first-round game against 11-win Indiana before the Hoosiers made a late — if feeble — run to make the final deficit a more respectable 27-17. 

Then, in the quarterfinal against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame allowed an early field goal and never trailed again while rag-dolling the SEC champions en route to a 23-10 victory. How the Irish have gotten this far is even more impressive. 

Few teams entered the College Football Playoff with more meaningful injuries. Notre Dame battled through a majority of the year without several key starters at every level of the field. Now, entering the semifinal portion of the bracket, the status of top running back Jeremiyah Love is in the air after he appeared to re-aggravate a knee injury against Georgia. 

The Irish keep winning, though, and now they’re just two wins away from their first national title in almost 40 years. Here’s how Notre Dame can make it to the mountaintop. 

1. Dominance in the trenches 

Marcus Freeman has put a lot of time into building his roster from the ground up, and it shows. In spite of the mounting injuries — Notre Dame has been without two of its top defensive lineman and two of its starting offensive linemen for…

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Author : Will Backus

Publish date : 2025-01-06 18:00:00

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