Nov 1, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Will Pauling (2) catches a pass against Boston College Eagles defensive back TJ Green (30) in the second quarter at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images Edward Finan-Imagn Images

Notre Dame's Victory Over Boston College May Age Like Fine Wine

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By John Kennedy | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 10:20 AM ET

Notre Dame did not play great football against the Eagles

Notre Dame fans had a clear vision of what they wanted to see from the Irish against Boston College. Coming off a huge rivalry win over USC, followed by a week off before facing the 1-7 Eagles as a 30-point favorite, Irish fans expected and wanted domination.

Aside from just earning bragging points over Boston College, there was a very practical purpose to the desired combination. Impressing the CFP committee. Due to Notre Dame's two early-season losses, it's unclear as to whether a 10-2 Irish team is a lock to make the CFP field.

Clearly, Notre Dame can't afford another loss; that much is a given, but if this becomes a beauty contest, the more impressive each win is, down the home stretch, the more CFP credibility can be gained.

Will the CFP committee view this game as a tough road win against a rival by over two touchdowns? Or a letdown game that shows the Irish aren't the best two-loss team in the country and deserve to be dropped in the rankings?

After seeing some other results from around the country and knowing that more chaos is sure to come, I suspect this win will become more appreciated with time.

Irish nation showed out tonight in Chestnut Hill ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/tF3rx3xqeK
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 1, 2025

Miami, Vanderbilt, and Georgia Tech all take losses

On a day when Irish fans weren't overly impressed with Notre Dame's performance, it could've been much worse. Notre Dame could've lost like Vanderbilt, or Georgia Tech, two teams the Irish are jockeying for playoff position against.

And as for Miami, now that the Hurricanes have acquired two losses, Notre Dame will no longer get any "good loss" credit.

While this is bad news, and the Hurricanes have a head-to-head win against Notre Dame to lean on, it wouldn't surprise me a bit to see Miami drop another game down the stretch, and if Notre Dame keeps winning, the head-to-head loss will not matter anymore in terms of two-loss Miami blocking the two-loss Irish in the rankings.

November football separates contenders from pretenders. Many teams will fade away and suffer unrecoverable losses, some will grind out tough wins, and others will end the season playing their best football.

While I am frustrated with Notre Dame's performance against Boston College overall, the main goal was achieved. Keep winning football games, while others lose them.

Certainly, the Irish will have to play much better the rest of November to have any chance of winning out or having any success in the playoff, but any ugly win is better than a loss, especially in November.

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

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