Heather Dinich: Notre Dame in must-win territory vs. Louisville for College Football Playoff chances

Notre Dame is getting ready to host Louisville in South Bend. It’s a game that has proven to be one of the most anticipated games of the weekend and even early in the season, it has College Football Playoff implications.

As ESPN insider Heather Dinich explained during an appearance on Get Up, Notre Dame is in must-win territory for its game against Louisville. Otherwise, the Playoff is likely going to be out of reach for the Irish in 2024.

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“That is fact,” Heather Dinich said. “If they don’t win this game, according to the All-State Playoff predictor, their chances of making the CFP drop to 10 percent. Not only do they have to win out, run the table, they have to look good in every game doing it.”

Even with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams for this season, having two losses before the end of September could be the end of Notre Dame’s chances. Part of that comes down to the reality that a two-loss team at that point in the season likely has flaws it can’t overcome and then there is the team’s resume that would struggle to rebound from the losses.

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Notre Dame’s first loss this season came as a massive upset when the Irish dropped a low-scoring battle to Northern Illinois at home. That was the biggest upset of the season, and it made the path forward much more difficult for the Irish.

Since then, Notre Dame has won its last two games, including a blowout win over Purdue and a relatively low-scoring win over Miami (OH). This game against Louisville is going to represent a major step up in competition for the Irish. The Cardinals are unbeaten this season in three games and are coming off a win over Georgia Tech to start ACC play. Now, Louisville is ranked 15th in the current AP Poll, which is one spot ahead of the Irish, making it one of several Top 25 matchups around college football in Week 5.

These two teams also have a decent amount of recent history. That includes a game last season, which saw Louisville upset Notre Dame. That game was Notre Dame’s second loss of that season for the Irish and effectively eliminated them from College Football Playoff contention. Now, the goal is to avoid having that happen twice.

Notre Dame and Louisville are set to kickoff at 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday. That game will be played in South Bend.