Starting In 2024 Notre Dame Should Be In The Playoff Every Single Year, But They Are One Thing Away From Truly Being A National Championship Contender
Notre Dame discussion above at 41:15 mark
The long talked about College Football Playoff expansion was made officially, official today. Format going to 12 teams. ND can't be ranked 1-4 I guess because those are reserved for conference champions which is stupid, but that is a discussion for another day. The story here is that Notre Dame, with this expansion, should probably be in the playoff every single year. They're a top 10 program. They play a top 10 schedule. They have a top 10 recruiting classes. They've got everything you need year in and year out to be a perennial playoff team.
Just not a perennial contender. There difference between Notre Dame and the top teams in the country was on full display again last weekend against USC. Southern Cal had a BIG time Heisman trophy caliber QB and Notre Dame did not. The ND defense was getting pressure with 4 guys routinely and collapsing the pocket and just about every single time they appeared as if they were going to get a sack and get off the field, Caleb Williams would escape and make a play that would break the will of most teams. Meanwhile, even with the turnovers, I think you can make an argument that Drew Pyne played the game of his life. He moved the ball, he was efficient, and it just wasn't enough.
Notre Dame has never had a guy like Caleb Williams in my lifetime and that is what it takes to win the National Championship. Clemson is a perfect example of this too, but they don't get hit with the perpetual "overrated" chants. Clemson has be in their golden era with Dabo. They've won National titles and put a thousand guys into the NFL. This current Clemson team that Notre Dame beat by 50 has three guys who are projected to go in the first round of the NFL Draft. They're not in the playoff because this group, while extremely talented across the board, doesn't have Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence at QB.
Ian Book was good. Drew Pyne has really grown. We still don't really know what Buchner is. What we do know is that those guys aren't in the class of Joe Burrow, Tua, Caleb Williams, Watson, Lawrence, Jalen Hurts, and the other NFL guys who have won National Championships in the playoff era.
The Irish have another 4-star kid in the '23 class. They have CJ Carr, a 5-star recruit, in the '24 class. That is great. I hope one of these guys pop and become a stud QB. I do think that the time to strike is right now. Notre Dame has a TON of talent. They got much better as the year went along on the offensive line under Harry Heistand. They'll return a ton of starters on both sides of the ball. They need a quarterback and I think they need to do what USC did and find one in the transfer portal. The guy I like...Devin Leary.
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I think Leary is a stud and probably would've declared for the NFL Draft if he didn't get hurt. As a sophomore in 2021 he threw for 3400 yards, 35 TDs with only 5 INTs. Drives the ball down field. Good athlete to extend plays. He's not Caleb Williams, but I think he has an NFL future. No idea what ND thinks about the transfer portal. Something tells me admissions and transferring credits might be a bigger hurdle at Notre Dame than other places, but you'd think ND would be in the market for a veteran QB if they aren't completely sold on Buchner or Pyne as the guy for next year.