We gotta talk about the Fighting Irish. An emotional start of the 2024 season for Marcus Freeman and Co. with a massive 23-13 win over Texas A&M, the Irish quickly found a massive roadblock when they hit the turf against Northern IL. Taking a 16-14 loss, Marcus Freeman and Co. were pushed down to the No.49 spot on Kelly Ford’s Most Deserving Teams list with a score of 0.216. But oh, how the tables have turned. Marcus Freeman managed to flip the script so hard that the Irish have now managed to secure 6 back-to-back wins with an average of 30+ points in almost every game.

Now, you might think that well, this should give Freeman and Co. an easy ticket to the playoffs, right? No. Back on ESPN The Kickoff, Heather Dinich makes it clear that Notre Dame has to push through the tie-breaker with a massive SEC team. “They have very different losses….. This is going to be a big conversation in the committee meeting room,” Dinich mentioned. Who is this SEC giant? Texas A&M.

YES. The team Freeman started the season with a win against is right now their biggest contender in terms of cracking the playoffs. After the loss to the Irish, the Aggies, and HC, Mike Elko went on a dominating 6-win run. Not only that, they even managed to push over a massive team like LSU with 38-23 on the board.

“The head-to-head results become a crucial tie-breaker, especially when comparing teams with similar records,” Dinich mentioned. Freeman and Co. have to prove themselves if they want that playoff ticket. If Notre Dame manages to go 11-1 this season, then they will get the playoff spot with ease.

However, If they lose any of the games against Army, Virginia, or USC, then getting that spot will be hard for Freeman unless Elko and Co. mess up on the other side. So the question now is, can the roster Freeman has created manage to grab the W?

Marcus Freeman’s roster vs the world

Let’s talk about the Army first. The Black Knights are on a 7-0 streak, and no team on the board has managed to slow them down. Averaging 40+ points in almost all of their games, the Knights offense and defense are something Freeman has to watch out for. But does he need to worry? Against Navy Midshipmen, the Irish DOMINATED. With 51 points on the board, the Navy offense barely had any possession of the football. It does give us a fair idea of what the team is truly capable of.

However, will the USC game be the same outcome? See, the season has not been kind to Lincoln Riley. His team had a massive start but fell off just as fast. The problem is their offense. Trojans’ defense has continued to be a silver lining for Riley, but the offense? Not so much. Here again, Freeman should have the upper hand. While the Aggies continue their domination, if Freeman manages to grab a W against the Army, USC, and then Virginia, nothing is going to stop them from reaching the crown jewel.