A way-too-early Notre Dame football playoff possibility from Action Network
In just over 10 months, there could be a Notre Dame football game in South Bend just four days before Christmas. Brett McMurphy of Action Network released his “never-too-early” College Football Playoff predictions for the 2024 season, and the Fighting Irish made the 12-team field.
McMurphy has the Irish hosting the Alabama Crimson Tide in a No. 7 vs. No. 10 matchup at Notre Dame Stadium on Dec. 21. According to McMurphy’s models, Alabama — coached by somebody other than Nick Saban for the first time since 2006 — would be a 2.5-point road favorite.
Here’s McMurphy’s full pool of 12 teams he thinks will make the playoff in the first year of it being comprised of a dozen programs. The top four seeds receive a first-round bye in the new format.
No. 1 Georgia
No. 2 Ohio State
No. 3 Florida State
No. 4 Utah
No. 5 Texas
No. 6 Oregon
No. 7 Notre Dame
No. 8 Missouri
No. 9 Penn State
No. 10 Alabama
No. 11 Michigan
No. 12 Boise State
McMurphy has Texas advancing to play Utah, Oregon advancing to play Florida State, Notre Dame advancing to play Ohio State and Missouri advancing to play Georgia in the quarterfinals, which are slated to take place on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
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Those games are not played on university campuses like first-round games. The Utes vs. Longhorns matchup would be the Fiesta Bowl. The Irish’s bout with the Buckeyes would be the Rose Bowl. The Seminoles and Ducks would play in the Peach Bowl, and the Bulldogs and Tigers would go at it in an all-SEC Sugar Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl is the only quarterfinal game being played on New Year’s Eve. The rest are on New Year’s Day.
McMurphy likes Texas to take on Georgia in the Orange Bowl and Ohio State to face Oregon in the Cotton Bowl. The former is set for Jan. 9, and the latter kicks off on Jan. 10. He’s got the Bulldogs playing the Buckeyes, his top-two seeded teams, playing for the national championship on Jan. 20.
A No. 7 seed for Notre Dame is a reasonable projection for the Irish. Since Notre Dame can’t earn a top-four seed as a conference champion, the best the Irish can do is the No. 5 seed. Anything from No. 5 through No. 8 ensures a playoff game at Notre Dame Stadium. It’s going to take a record of 11-1, most likely, to make that reality.
