The Notre Dame Fighting Irish want to exorcise some postseason demons by winning a playoff game. They’ll start with a home game against the in-state Indiana Hoosiers. From there, the path gets trickier.
Who will the Fighting Irish need to knock off as they march toward the CFP National Championship? College Football Network breaks down every potential matchup in Notre Dame’s quest for a national title.
Notre Dame College Football Playoff First-Round Prediction vs. No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers
Notre Dame hosts Indiana in the first round, an intriguing matchup between the two in-state teams located less than 200 miles from one another. This one will be won or lost in the trenches, as the Hoosiers have struggled against talented defensive lines while the Fighting Irish have dominated on the line of scrimmage.
- Win Probability vs. No. 10 Indiana: 50.8%
- CFN Spread vs. No. 10 Indiana: Notre Dame -1
Notre Dame College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Prediction vs. No. 2 Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs will play the winner of Notre Dame’s first-round matchup. The key will again be in the trenches. Notre Dame has the offensive and defensive lines to match up with the Bulldogs, which makes this an intriguing potential matchup.
- Win Probability vs. No. 2 Georgia: 42.6%
- CFN Spread vs. No. 2 Georgia: Georgia -3
Notre Dame College Football Playoff Semifinal Projection vs. No. 3 Boise State, No. 6 Penn State, or No. 11 SMU
There are three possible opponents in the semifinals for the Fighting Irish: The Boise State Broncos or the winner of the first-round matchup between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the SMU Mustangs. Notre Dame is heavily favored over two of the three, with a potential matchup against Penn State being perfectly even.
- Win Probability vs. No. 3 Boise State: 70.3%
- Win Probability vs. No. 6 Penn State: 50.0%
- Win Probability vs. No. 11 SMU: 61.9%
- CFN Spread vs. No. 3 Boise State: Notre Dame -7
- CFN Spread vs. No. 6 Penn State: Pick ’em
- CFN Spread vs. No. 11 SMU: Notre Dame -4
Notre Dame College Football Playoff National Championship Projection vs. the Field
Six teams are on the other side of the bracket: The Texas Longhorns, Clemson Tigers, Arizona State Sun Devils, Tennessee Volunteers, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Oregon Ducks. The Fighting Irish would be favored against Clemson and Arizona State while underdogs against the other four teams.
- Win Probability vs. No. 5 Texas: 44.4%
- Win Probability vs. No. 12 Clemson: 61.1%
- Win Probability vs. No. 4 Arizona State: 58.9%
- Win Probability vs. No. 9 Tennessee: 49.2%
- Win Probability vs. No. 8 Ohio State: 41.1%
- Win Probability vs. No. 1 Oregon: 34.9%
- CFN Spread vs. No. 5 Texas: Texas -3
- CFN Spread vs. No. 12 Clemson: Notre Dame -4
- CFN Spread vs. No. 4 Arizona State: Notre Dame -3
- CFN Spread vs. No. 9 Tennessee: Tennessee -1
- CFN Spread vs. No. 8 Ohio State: Ohio State -3
- CFN Spread vs. No. 1 Oregon: Oregon -5.5
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