The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have hit their stride following their shocking loss to Northern Illionois from what seems like a lifetime ago.
Following that unacceptable disaster against the Huskies, many questioned whether head coach Marcus Freeman was truly the right man to lead the Irish.
Freeman’s recruiting has been strong, and players absolutely love him. However, his in-game strategy can sometimes leave a whole lot to be desired.
To his credit, Freeman has turned the tables and has guided the Irish to seven straight impressive victories.
While it’s true that the Florida State Seminoles are the most disappointing team in the entire country, Notre Dame deserves credit for dominating them this past Saturday.
There’s something to be said for teams who don’t play down to the level of their competition and instead do exactly what they’re supposed to do.
Notre Dame was expected to easily handle the Seminoles, and that’s exactly what they did as they cruised to a commanding 52-3 victory in South Bend.
Speaking of expectations, Notre Dame is expected to win their final three games of the regular season.
The Irish will face Virginia, Army and USC … All due respect to those teams (especially Army), Notre Dame has no business dropping any of those games.
Assuming they do indeed win out, Freeman’s team will finish the regular season with an 11-1 record.
Despite not having an opportunity to bolster their resume even further with a win in a conference championship game, most analysts predict that an 11-1 Irish team would be a lock for the College Football Playoff.
However, one very notable analyst has hinted that the Northern Illinois loss is so inexcusably ugly that it may cost Notre Dame come selection time.
“What are we going to do with Notre Dame? … I think the answer is maybe,” FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt stated.
“Right now, they’re 7-1, their best wins are Louisville, Navy, and then the big one that’s going to help them, Texas A&M in that opening week of the season in College Station.”
However, Klatt pointed out a potential hurdle for the Irish: their relatively soft strength of schedule.
“Their loss is terrible,” he said. “At home to Northern Illinois. And what’s helping them now is they’re 2-0 against CFP Top 25 teams. That’s helping them a lot, but they have very little left on their schedule.
Klatt further warned that with only a few opportunities left to impress, Notre Dame may not entirely control its own playoff fate.
“So I’d like to say, there’s not a lot of heat on that schedule. I don’t think it’s a guarantee that Notre Dame controls their own destiny,” he concluded.
While most people would disagree with Klatt’s take, the fact of the matter is he’s one of the best at what he does, and his opinion does carry weight.
In other words, perhaps the Northern Illinois loss is indeed so frighteningly bad that it could single-handily cost Notre Dame a playoff spot.
What are your thoughts on Klatt’s take? … Will an 11-1 Irish team actually be kept out of the playoffs???
