A lot’s riding on Marcus Freeman and his Fighting Irish. Last natty for Notre Dame? 1988 under Lou Holtz when Freeman was barely two. However, it’s not just about the program itself. Freeman also has the opportunity to become the first Black coach to win the title. Before that happens, though, he will have to face James Franklin’s Penn State team. It’s worth noting that Franklin is another black coach who is also chasing the same dream. Think The Matrix—one’s gotta choose the red pill, the other’s got the blue. So, has the Irish been dealt a bad hand?

We are all aware of the Sugar Bowl game between Notre Dame and the Dawgs, which had to be rescheduled from January 1st to the following day due to the tragic incident in New Orleans. Now this has to be good news, but after their victory, they straight up have to face Penn State in just six days, which can be problematic for the Irish, as analyst Adam Breneman thinks: “With the Penn State Notre Dame game in the Orange Bowl in Miami, Penn State has an extra two days of rest in a huge game against. the Notre Dame team that just played a physical game against Georgia. And I believe that is even more magnified when the margins between the two teams are so thin it’s going to be an extremely close game.” Well, that’s a straight fact.

Now how is this fair that Penn State gets nine days of rest whereas Notre Dame just has 7? Plus, Notre Dame’s schedule is straight-up brutal. They just got back from Arizona on Wednesday, which gives them a whopping 48 hours before their massive semifinal game. Then, they get back on Friday morning and have to jet to Miami by Monday. Like, really? There’s barely any time to prep for one of their biggest games against a strong team like Penn State. That’s going to be rough on them.

Moreover, all this would have never happened if the CFB committee had shifted the Orange Bowl to January 10. But only if they think that it’s a problem. Plus SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was the first one to think this way, asking the committee if the Orange Bowl can be swapped with the Sugar Bowl. Just imagine the response they gave him: “We’re not going to flip games.” Looks like the committee is favoring Penn State, giving them an edge over Notre Dame.

Does Penn State really have an upper hand?

Let’s face it Boise State’s win over Georgia in the CFP quarterfinals was huge, but now the real challenge awaits. With a shorter time period left until the semifinal against the Nittany Lions, there is a stressful situation for the team. And till now, we all know why the game got pushed back, but this is serious business. One slip-up, and Boise State’s dream could be over. Alright, let’s analyze this: Penn State had a game on New Year’s Eve, yet Boise State’s victory is creating chaos during this shortened week. So, the CFP could give Marcus Freeman’s team an extra day, right? Easy fix: they could have just moved the Longhorns vs. Buckeyes game to January 9.

However, Notre Dame’s head coach Marcus Freeman thinks the other way around as he dropped some wisdom ahead of their matchup, saying, “Like I said man, how you handle the unpredictable things in life will determine the success, and so the greatest thing about this week is like it’s just a normal game week.” Classic Freeman. Now we get what Marcus Freeman is doing here. He’s trying to keep his team from feeling sorry for themselves. That’s smart. Because even if he is out there feeling sorry about it, the internet would be roasting him, saying, “Oh, Freeman, already pulling out the excuses?”

Now let’s add some spice to Marcus Freeman’s perspective, shall we? See, extra rest didn’t do much for Kirby Smart’s Georgia—coming off a bye week, they still got smacked 10-23 by Notre Dame, who had just played the week before. So Freeman’s boys are used to such situations. No wonder the Bulldogs were rusty—turnovers, drops, you name it, and Notre Dame took full advantage during that sweet eight-minute stretch. Now let’s see how Notre Dame holds up their game against Penn State after all these future predictions rolling high.