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Cam Newton doubles down on Notre Dame take, claims Fighting Irish had 'cakewalk' to semifinals

Matt Connollyby:Matt Connolly•01/03/25•

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Cam Newton
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Former NFL MVP and current ESPN First Take analyst Cam Newton said ahead of the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff between Notre Dame and Georgia that the fighting Irish did not belong in the CFP because of their lack of quality wins.

Notre Dame went out and beat Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl Thursday afternoon, but despite that, Cam Newton is sticking by his take.

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“Notre Dame played six top 25 teams in their year this year. You want to know who those top 25 teams were? Texas A&M, Louisville, Navy, Army, Indiana and a depleted UGA team,” Cam Newton said Friday on ESPN First Take.

“They have the 58th strength of schedule. … Notre Dame has had a cakewalk to their situation, playing the teams that they’ve played, versus the teams Texas played, versus the teams Ohio State even played. So that’s what I mean when I say certain things like that. You haven’t earned the right.”

Georgia was without starting quarterback Carson Beck against Notre Dame, which is part of what led to Newton’s comments. Cam Newton also said that this is not a typical Georgia team that Notre Dame beat.

“This is the weakest University of Georgia team that we’ve seen in the last five years. And you know that,” Newton said. “And they played with their backup quarterback. On top of, they had two turnovers, on top of that they had to muster special teams touchdowns to win.

“OK, cool. Did they control the line of scrimmage? Yes. But was that the best UGA team? No.”

Cam Newton understands that some will be critical of his take, but he is standing by it. He pointed out that the Fighting Irish finished with 244 total yards against Georgia and benefited from two UGA turnovers. Notre Dame also had a kickoff return for a touchdown.

“I’m not the person that’s going to go with the trend, as you guys obviously know. I’m OK with speaking my mind,” Newton said. “So now, I’m going to also double down on this statement by saying this, I’m used to seeing teams earn their way to a national title. I’m used to seeing teams beat the best. I don’t think 100 percent that we’re seeing the best teams compete.”