Where Notre Dame football is headed in way-too-early bowl game projections

For some, forecasting the college football postseason is a year-round endeavor. In this instance, “some” = The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy. The longtime CFB scribe released a way-too-early bowl game projection sheet for the upcoming season, which includes a destination for Notre Dame.

McMurphy has Notre Dame playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Texas A&M.

Formerly known as the Outback Bowl, the ReliaQuest Bowl isn’t exactly a top-tier destination. It can feature two ranked teams squaring off, but it generally doesn’t. That has only happened once in the game’s last six matchups. No. 16 Minnesota defeated No. 9 Auburn, 31-24, on Jan. 1, 2020. Notre Dame has never played in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Here is who McMurphy has competing in the New Year’s Six matchups.

Rose Bowl: Michigan (-5.5) vs. Florida State

Allstate Sugar Bowl: Georgia (-6) vs. Washington

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: LSU (-3) vs. Penn State

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Oregon (-10) vs. Tulane

Goodyear Cotton Bowl: Alabama (-4) vs. Texas Tech

Capital One Orange Bowl: Ohio State (-5) vs. Clemson

Georgia and Michigan have become regulars in the College Football Playoff, but Florida State and Washington would be new, but still old, blood. The Huskies have one CFP appearance back in 2016. The Seminoles have one in 2014, which was the first year of the CFP’s existence. Playoff berths for both of those programs would accentuate impressive and seemingly overnight rebuilds.

Florida State is not far removed from losing seasons in three of four years, including marks of 3-6 and 5-7 in head coach Mike Norvell‘s first two seasons. Notre Dame beat FSU in Tallahassee in the 2021 season opener. The Seminoles went 10-3 with a Cheez-It Bowl victory over Oklahoma last year to ease Noles fans’ nerves about Norvell’s aptitude.

Washington went 4-8 in 2021, meanwhile. Head coach Jimmy Lake, Chris Peterson‘s successor, was fired midseason in just his second year on the job. His first was the COVID campaign. He led the Huskies to a 3-1 record. Washington went 11-2 with an Alamo Bowl win vs. Texas last year in Kalen DeBoer‘s first season as head coach.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is trying to reach such heights. The Irish went 9-4 with a Gator Bowl triumph over South Carolina in his first year on the job. That was with backup Drew Pyne starting 10 games at quarterback. Now Notre Dame has Wake Forest graduate transfer Sam Hartman. An elite quarterback is generally required to reach the CFP. Hartman and company could prove McMurphy wrong and kickstart Freeman’s head coaching career with a big season.