Is Notre Dame about to fall out of the playoff picture? Maybe. The Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman certainly hopes not. With the No.6 Fighting Irish sitting at 9-1 and facing the undefeated Army Black Knights in a must-win Week 12 clash of College football, Freeman knows his reputation is what’s at stake here. Can Notre Dame handle this type of pressure, or will the Army avenge their fellow United States service academy and spoil their playoff dreams?

With playoff spots on the line, the stakes couldn’t be higher for both teams. For Notre Dame, this is more than just another game; it’s their golden ticket to secure a spot at College Football Playoff (CFB). The Notre Dame Boss-man, Marcus Freeman, knows exactly what they are dealing with, and doesn’t give a single ounce of benefit of the doubt, “The biggest mistake we can make is thinking this is Navy 2.0. It’s not,” Freeman warned. They can’t just walk through the Army like they did on the Navy Midshipmen on Week 9 of college football. A loss would not only drop them in the rankings but could knock them out of their playoff dream entirely. Meanwhile, the Army is desperate to maintain its undefeated record and secure a spot in the 12-team playoff, obviously this is a do-or-die game for both sides.

Freeman’s Fighting Irish are coming off an impressive 35-14 win over Virginia and riding an 8-game win streak. However, the Army isn’t same as Navy. The Army has proven to be a different challenge. They are undefeated for a reason, and yeah, yeah.. the Army hasn’t faces battled any top-tier program, very reasonable. But the Black Knights have shown they can ball-out like any other ranked program, or did they? Their defense will be tested like never before, but if they can find a way to contain Riley Leonards and Notre Dame’s powerful offense, they could pull something out.

Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame vs. Jeff Monken’s Army

The Notre Dame has been slicing all their opponents since the Week 3 in a diabolical fashion. Marcus Freeman’s offense is straight fire, clicking on all cylinders, with powerful & healthy O-line, a back-from-injury star tight-end Mitchell Evans, and a dynamic 1-2 punch at running back with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. With quarterback Riley Leonard taking the wheel and leading the charge, Notre Dame looks poised to control the game temperature from first snap to final blow.

This game, however, will be anything but a walk in the park for the Fighting Irish. The Odds are heavily favoring Notre Dame, but the Army has a way of making games interesting. The Black Knights have fought hard to remain undefeated, though their competition has been very far from top-tier. Still, any team that goes 9-0 has to be taken seriously. According to some analysts, The Fighting Irish has 84% chance of winning the game, the bookies already betting Notre Dame to win by double-digit lead.

Despite Notre Dame’s impressive lineup and backfield, they do have a blemish on their schedule: an unexplainable loss to Northern Illinois on Week 3. Apart from that, they’ve been firing on all cylinders, and their health on the offensive line is a major advantage. If they play up to their potential, they should win this game like easy-peasy. However, Marcus Freeman has an experience of heartbreaks and he very well knows that nothing is guaranteed, especially in a game that carries so much playoff weight.