Three reasons why Notre Dame will make a return trip to the College Football Playoff
Following the massively successful 2024 season, the encore 2025 campaign has thrust new expectations upon the Irish. With the College Football Playoff expanding last year, it gives Notre Dame a much better chance to compete for a championship, which is exactly what we saw last fall.
For the program to make a leap into elite status, they'll have to continue to make the 12-team (more in the future) tournament. There are plenty of reasons why that should happen and here are the top three why Notre Dame will make a return visit to the College Football Playoff.
Roster depth
It's hard to imagine this being the case after three short years with Marcus Freeman at the helm, but not only has he recruited well, he's developed the lower ranked prospects into big-time contributors. We saw last year the Irish losing multiple players on the offensive and defensive line, star cornerback Benjamin Morrison and they didn't miss a beat. Many of those players are returning to a squad that isn't as young as it was last year. With depth all over the roster, Notre Dame can afford to sustain some injuries and keep winning.
Elite defense
Sure, defensive coordinator Al Golden is gone and has been replaced by Chris Ash, but now that the later doesn't have to focus on running a whole team, he should return to being an elite defensive play caller. He helped Ohio State win a championship in 2014 as their DC, and could very well do the same for the Irish. Ash has NFL experience as well, which should bode well for Notre Dame. It's not just him either, as the Irish are loaded across the board with top-end talent.
Marcus Freeman
At this point we are just scratching the surface of what Freeman can really be, as we have seen a massive transition from his first year to now. Sure, the early season losses still rear its ugly head, but as we saw last fall, the Irish can overcome and still reach their goal. Freeman is quickly ascending up the top coaching lists, and in my eyes, he's the biggest reason why Notre Dame will make the CFP in 2025.
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