Marcus Freeman might as well swap his headset for a chessboard. Because this postseason, he’s been making moves that would leave even Magnus Carlsen second-guessing. Thanks to his brilliant tactics, the Fighting Irish are on the verge of a storybook moment, with a shot at the Natty for the first time since 1988. His latest masterstroke? A trick play so crafty it made the notoriously sharp Kirby Smart look like he needed a cheat sheet. Notre Dame’s 23-10 Sugar Bowl stunner over No. 2 Georgia wasn’t just an upset. It was a mic-drop moment for a program itching to reclaim its glory. But as the Fighting Irish bask in the glow of their biggest win in years, the CFP committee has dealt Freeman and his squad a hand that feels more like a trap than a test.

Someone wisely said, “You could never rely on fate and circumstance.” The kind of situation Marcus Freeman is in echoes the very statement. After their defensive and special teams masterpiece against the Bulldogs, now ND’s attention turns to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9. They’ll fight the Nittany Lions, who might have been granted not just one but two unfair advantages that could tilt the scales in their favor.

Despite the postponement of their game by one day, no other changes will be made. CFP executive director Rich Clark broke the news to ESPN’s Heather Dinich on Friday, saying, “We’re not going to flip the games.” Clark just glamourized the harsh decision by stating we only delayed the game by a day because of security reasons. Help could’ve been on the way, from an unlikely source. As SEC commissioner, Greg Sankey was the only one to publicly raise concerns and had asked the CFP if it would be possible to switch up the schedule.

The Orange Bowl, featuring Notre Dame and Penn State, is set to take place a full day before the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1oth, which pits Texas against Ohio State in the other semifinal. Sankey tried to play messiah and stated, “This is not an SEC-related issue; it’s for both teams.” “I also know that the communities have dates, they have plans, there are stadium availability issues that can arise,” he added. It would have been golden for the golden helmets if agreed upon. But Clark explained the decision to keep the schedule as it is, citing that the other semifinal teams and their fans have already made arrangements.

Penn State’s earlier game against Boise State gave them a day’s head start, but the opposite was true for Marcus Freeman and his team, who had two fewer days to recover. At first glance, it seems like a simple scheduling issue, but look closer, and it feels like a major oversight. Giving an extra day of recovery to a powerhouse team that wrapped up its last game on New Year’s Eve with a dominant 31-14 win over Ashton Jeanty-led Broncos could be seen as downright unfair.

The scheduling loophole just adds another layer of rest disparity. Franklin and his Nittany Lions now get a luxury suite in the recovery department, while Notre Dame has barely unpacked their bags from New Orleans. ‘How is this even remotely fair?’ is the question buzzing around CFB circles, and it’s one Freeman is far too professional to voice himself. Notre Dame’s quarterfinal clash with Georgia was pushed back after the tragic attack in New Orleans—a decision made to honor and mourn the lives lost. It was the right call—a moment to pause and reflect on something far bigger than football.

However, this has left the Fighting Irish on uneven ground. As if facing James Franklin’s well-oiled machine wasn’t challenging enough, Freeman must now navigate the postseason gauntlet with less recovery time than his opponent.

Freeman’s humility has been a hallmark of his leadership, a trait quarterback Riley Leonard was quick to point out during the postgame presser. The Sugar Bowl MVP interjected when Freeman tried to deflect credit for the game-deciding trick play—a genius move that caused the Dawgs to jump offsides and seal the victory. But humility won’t mask the elephant in the room: Notre Dame is being set up to fight an uphill battle. The CFP committee’s decision-making, whether intentional or not, has handed Penn State a physical and tactical edge.

Of course, James Franklin and Penn State won’t apologize for their good fortune. The Nittany Lions have been a model of consistency this season, their defense stifling opponents and their offense firing on all cylinders. They’ve earned their spot in the semifinals, fair and square. Although extra rest won’t necessarily be a good thing for Penn State if the CFP is any indication.

All the top four seeded teams that had weeks of gap between their quarterfinals fell off. As one can argue, the huge amount of delays just kills the momentum. Still, it was only about integrity, as an uncalled-for event postponed Notre Dame’s game, but no uncalled-for adjustments were made to level the playing field. Try that party trick.

The CFP committee may have handed Notre Dame a raw deal, but don’t expect Marcus Freeman to complain. He’s a competitor, a winner, and a coach who knows that no amount of scheduling quirks can dictate the outcome once the whistle blows. Unlike some SEC coaches, who started to complain even after losing to Kentucky.

Marcus Freeman is way humble; he won’t accept that

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the former Buckeyes LB, it’s that he thrives in adversity. His team has embodied his no-excuses mentality all season, and this moment will be no different. Freeman isn’t the type to dwell on what’s out of his control. Instead, he’ll focus on what his team can control. Against the Dawgs, that meant deploying a mix of defensive brilliance and special teams wizardry to stifle the Bulldogs. But before he could even finish praising his players in front of the post-match media, Riley Leonard swooped in to set the record straight.

“Real quick, he’s being humble,” the cold-warrior QB1 said, grabbing the mic like a pro. “That was completely his play. We were going to run it a different way, like two days ago. Then he flipped it, and we executed it that way, and it worked. So yeah, he’s being humble. I’ll say it for him: Great call, great execution.” That trick play wasn’t just a moment—it was the moment. The penalty gave the Fighting Irish a fresh set of downs, allowing them to dominate possession until the final two minutes. Georgia? Barely saw the ball again.

If anything, the Irish should embrace the underdog mentality, and here they are, the dawgs ranked at No. 5. If Freeman can outwit Kirby Smart with a trick play and bring down a Georgia powerhouse, who’s to say he can’t topple Penn State, even with the odds stacked against him?