Notre Dame will have not played a game of football in nearly three full weeks when the Indiana Hoosiers come to town for the first round of the College Football Playoff on December 20.
Every day of rest and recovery will have been necessary as well, given how grueling a college football season can be. Just about every athlete on the roster will have felt the wear and tear of a full 12 game campaign, some more than others.
The name on everyone's mind at the moment is star running back Jeremiyah Love, who has been everything to this Fighting Irish offense and then some. The sophomore suffered an apparent knee injury late against USC in Notre Dame's final game of the regular season, but it appears he will be good to go to take on the Hoosiers.
Stud defensive tackle Howard Cross also appears to be on pace to take the field December 20, as he takes time to rehab his injured ankle. Cross missed each of Notre Dame's final three regular season matchups against Virginia, Army and USC while tending to his ankle.
As it stands, the nearly seven week recovery time for Cross looks to be enough for him to play against Indiana.
Lastly, breakout true freshman linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa looks as if he will be out for round one of the College Football Playoff. 'KVA' suffered a knee sprain against Army and was unable to go against USC in his home state of California for the regular season finale.
It does appear that if Notre Dame is able to take down Indiana, Viliamu-Asa would have a shot to play against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on January 1. His timetable is around six to seven weeks, putting him right in contention to play against the Bulldogs.
We will wait to hear further confirmation from Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman on game week for any further updates on injured players.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!