Dec 20, 2024; Notre Dame, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman during the third quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Notre Dame Stadium. Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

USA Today Sports Drops Bold Notre Dame Football Prediction

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 1:50 PM ET

Can Notre Dame still make the College Football Playoff (CFP)? That's a question that was being asked before Notre Dame even lost to Texas A&M, as many national college football voices seemed to want to get out ahead of the Fighting Irish making another improbable run to the CFP.

Is that the right question to ask about Notre Dame and the CFP, though? Or should we be asking something else regarding the two?

Many outlets updated their CFP and bowl game projections this week, and despite Notre Dame falling to 0-2 after a 41-40 loss to Texas A&M, one outlet sees Notre Dame doing more than just making the 12-team CFP field.

USA Today Predicts Notre Dame to Host CFP Game Again

Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

It was a wild scene in South Bend last December, when Notre Dame hosted Indiana in the first-ever College Football Playoff game played on a college campus. Notre Dame dominated the game despite Indiana rallying to tighten the score late, and it was an event unlike any the historic stadium had previously played host to.

Now, despite the 0-2 start to the 2025 season, USA Today is predicting Notre Dame Stadium plays host to another CFP game in 2025. The latest USA Today projections have Notre Dame as the No. 7 seed playing host to No. 10 Utah in the first round.

Other CFP Matchups it projects:

No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 LSU
No. 11 Florida State at No. 6 Oregon
No. 9 Texas at No. 8 Illinois

The projections call for Notre Dame to get by Utah in the first round but fall to Georgia in a Sugar Bowl matchup from last year in the quarterfinals. It ultimately has Penn State, Ohio State, and LSU joining Georgia in the semi-finals, and Georgia taking on Ohio State for the national championship.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway:

What I keep going back to this year, compared to last, is that through two games, everyone knew Notre Dame's defense was still for real a season ago. This year, that is very much up in the air.

It's not going to be as bad as it showed at times against Miami and Texas A&M, but can it shut many teams down like it did regularly a year ago? Or is Notre Dame going to have to count on CJ Carr, Jeremiyah Love, and Jadarian Price to threaten 40 points a week to win games?

I'm not ruling out that Notre Dame can run the table. It still has more talent than the 10 remaining teams on its schedule. However, the defensive line needs to create regular pressure, and the secondary protect with a little consistency before I'm ready to buy in like the folks at USA Today still are.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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