Greg McElroy believes Notre Dame can win national championship this season

Notre Dame made the four-team College Football Playoff twice but didn’t win a game. In the new 12-team CFP, the Fighting Irish, by rule, can’t earn a first-round bye because they don’t play in a conference.

In other words, the odds are stacked against the Irish.

Greg McElroy isn’t counting them out, though. The ESPN analyst believes Notre Dame is one of several teams that can win the national title in the first-ever expanded playoff.

“I do think Notre Dame could win it,” McElroy said on his show. “I think Riley Leonard’s coming into his own. I think he’s playing better. The offensive line’s young, and they’ve improved steadily as they’ve gotten more and more comfortable with [offensive coordinator Mike] Denbrock’s system. I think Mitchell Evans, their tight end, is getting healthier. They have a really good 1-2 punch at running back. I love the way they get after the quarterback.”

Notre Dame clocked in at No. 8 in this week’s CFP rankings. Head coach Marcus Freeman’s team has rattled off seven wins in a row after dropping a Week 2 matchup to Northern Illinois at home. Only one of those seven games has been close, and that was a 31-24 triumph over Louisville, which is now No. 19 in the CFP rankings.

To McElroy’s point, Leonard has found a bit of a groove as the season has gone on. The Duke transfer has thrown just one pick since that fateful day against NIU. Meanwhile, he’s tossed nine touchdowns in that span while completing 65.3% of his passes and averaging 224.6 yards from scrimmage per game. A dual threat, Leonard has piled up 609 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground this season.

As for the Irish’s running back duo, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price have both recorded at least 440 rushing yards this season. Love has carried the ball 98 times for 583 yards and 10 touchdowns, whereas Price has notched 61 totes for 443 yards and four scores. Love also ranks fourth on the team with 17 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Notre Dame is imposing up front. That’s where defensive tackles Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III star.

Mills is first on the team with 24 pressures, and Cross is second with 17, according to Pro Football Focus. They also rank first and second on the team in sacks, respectively. Mills has six sacks to his name this year, and Cross isn’t far behind with four.

“I, for one, usually look at a few different things to win a natty,” said McElroy, who quarterbacked Alabama to a BCS national championship in 2010. “I think you need a quarterback that is experienced. Riley Leonard is that. I think you need a takeover-the-game defensive line. I think Notre Dame has that with their two defensive tackles. And I think you need enough good skill position players. I’d prefer wideouts, but I’ll take running backs, as long as my OC knows how to use them.”

Notre Dame checks off McElroy’s boxes.

So, despite the Irish’s past CFP troubles as well as their seeding limitations, the ESPN analyst sees them as a contender.