Greg McElroy shared a sharp assessment of Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame situation on ‘Always College Football,’ and his breakdown captured the uncertainty surrounding the Irish better than anything else this week.
He believes Notre Dame has most likely secured a spot, but he isn’t ready to call their place in the College Football Playoff a certainty. The 10-game winning streak carries weight, especially because every one of those victories came by double digits, yet McElroy pointed to the broader landscape.
Teams ranked 5 through 8 made statements over the weekend, and Texas A&M’s late push added another challenger to the group. In his view, Notre Dame should feel confident about getting into the field, but earning a home game is far less assured.
The final seeding battle is tight, and the Irish are stuck in the middle of it. Notre Dame’s resume is strong enough to spark belief. They turned a 0–2 start into one of the most dominant stretches of the season, with Marcus Freeman, Jeremiyah Love, and the core of the offense powering a complete turnaround.
“I think they have pretty much removed any doubt about what this team is capable of when they’re playing at the highest levels,” he SAID. “The big conversation about Notre Dame is not necessarily whether they be in the field—I think they will be more than likely—but would they get a home game? I’m not sure they will.” (From 5:24)
The win over Stanford closed the regular season with another convincing performance, but the lack of a conference title game keeps their fate in the hands of the committee. For an independent program, that final ranking always depends on how the chaos unfolds elsewhere.
Marcus Freeman on Notre Dame’s CFP Chances
Marcus Freeman made it clear after the Stanford win that Notre Dame has shown everything necessary to belong in the playoff conversation. He highlighted the team’s development from September to now and pointed to how much cleaner, faster, and more confident the group has become over the past two months.
Freeman also pushed the idea that Notre Dame stacks up with anyone in the country at this point in the season, and he believes his roster features the most impactful player in college football. In his mind, the committee should be looking at who is strongest right now, not only what happened early in the year.
“We have improved as much as anybody in the country, been playing as well as anybody in the country and we have, in my opinion, the best player in the country,” Freeman said. “That’s what you want. You want the best teams in the country now. Who’s the best teams for the playoffs right now? I truly believe we’re one.”
Their 10-game run and double-digit dominance give them momentum, but the structure of the CFP race means the committee’s decision will come down to how they interpret strength, form, and late-season movement.
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