Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard has made a believer out of USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer – who was previously unforgiving of the NIU loss but cannot deny the Fighting Irish any longer after a six-game win streak since.
“Two weeks ago, I omitted Notre Dame from my list of national championship contenders,” Toppmeyer wrote. “I cannot unsee its loss to Northern Illinois. However, Irish quarterback Riley Leonard is playing much better, the defense is dependable, and that Week 1 win at Texas A&M looks better and better. The Irish are clearly a playoff contender, and I’ve nearly seen enough to elevate them to national title contender.”
Having a freak loss to a MAC school may have been the best thing to happen to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have breezed through the rest of the schedule, delivering on the spread and from an expectations standpoint. They beat Louisville in expected fashion but throttled a previously unbeaten Navy.
Marcus Freeman’s program has not had more momentum in his three seasons as head coach in South Bend. Win out and Notre Dame has nothing to be concerned about; even if a top-four bid is off the table for one of three college football independents, and one of two in 2025.
Notre Dame adding Miami to the schedule for big 2025 test, possible glimpse into the future
Fighting Irish critics who feel Notre Dame is avoiding a tough schedule by not joining a conference can’t fault the program after Miami was added in 2025.
Louisville was a decent challenge this season, and the Fighting Irish got more than they usually bargain for in Navy and Army. It’s unclear what the USC matchup will look like by the season’s final week, but 4-4 is behind where most thought Lincoln Riley’s Trojans would end up.
Notre Dame has been a rumored addition to the ACC in football. They’ve joined the conference in most other sports already anyway. If they do that, they’d potentially get two different revenue streams from ESPN and NBC.
Is Miami just a major test or are the Hurricanes a glimpse into Notre Dame’s conference future?