Mike Golic Jr. addresses expectations around Notre Dame in College Football Playoff

Notre Dame has one of college football’s most historically successful programs. However, the last time the Irish won a national championship was in 1988. Their last major bowl win was the 1994 Cotton Bowl With that, there has been a shift in expectations over the years for the Irish.

This season, the path forward in the College Football Playoff for Notre Dame is clear. First, the Irish will play Indiana at home. Then, the winner is set to move on to play Georgia. Ahead of that, former Notre Dame player and current broadcaster Mike Golic Jr. set his expectations for the Irish on Andy & Ari On3.

Get your team’s official College Football Playoff watch from AXIA by CLICKING HERE: “Watches that tell so much more than time”

“I think, especially if it’s a compromised Georgia team, where all of a sudden you’re dealing with a lesser or fully injured Carson Beck,” Golic Jr. said. “Let’s put it this way, the metaphor we just talked about breaking through the ceiling, that would be the game. Beating Indiana is more, hey, you’ve got to do this to continue to show that earned respect post-NIU was warranted because Indiana is a very good team.”

Notre Dame and Indiana are two problems on opposite ends of the spectrum historically. The last time Notre Dame played Indiana was in 1991, which was an Irish win to move them to 23-5-1 in the series. The last time the Hoosiers won in South Bend, where the Playoff game will be held, was in 1898.

“They’re incredibly well coached, but they’re by no means the most talented team in the field. There’s a reason they’ve been almost a touchdown underdog in this game.” Golic said. “Notre Dame is supposed to beat Indiana and historically they’re supposed to beat Indiana. The [problem] for Notre Dame has been the programs that can recruit on a different level. It’s been an Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, in these big-time postseason games. Clemson in the ACC Championship and the Playoff years ago. So, beating a team [like Georgia] would start to change the way some of the people around South Bend view what this program is capable of going forward.”

Beyond anything this year, Golic Jr. wanted to emphasize that the Playoff field is relatively open this year. With that, Notre Dame should have a path to make noise this postseason.

“The thing is, they’ve got a unique opportunity. I’ve said it over and over, this team is the best chance we’ve had mathematically to win a championship since we played the BCS game,” Golic Jr. said. “I know people didn’t give us a chance to win that one but we were in the last game. We had a shot. This year, where there’s no truly transcendent team, Oregon is the most consistent. They’re deep, they’re talented, but they’re not great in the ways that the ’21 Georgia team or some of the other teams from years past were so dominant it felt like it was going to take a Herculean effort to beat. Notre Dame, if they play their best football, they can beat anybody left in the field. It’s can they go out there and actually accomplish that and get over some of the mental hurdles that might exist?”

Notre Dame and Indiana will open the College Football Playoff on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. EST in South Bend.