Podcast: Notre Dame Football’s Matchup with Michigan has Familiar Feel

In just over four weeks, the lights will be on at Notre Dame Stadium as the Irish play host to the Michigan Wolverines.

Notre Dame Football hosts the Michigan Wolverines on September 1st. It is perhaps college football’s hottest ticket, at least in the early stages of the season. Notre Dame comes in to the contest looking to lay the foundation for an improvement on their 10-win campaign a year ago.

Despite high expectations for each program, neither team has played in the College Football Playoff. If both teams can stay healthy, each has an opportunity to contend for a spot this season. Week one will play a major factor in how each time fares the rest of the season.

For Brian Kelly’s Fighting Irish, having an early-season bout with College Football Playoff implications is a familiar task. Though many didn’t realize it at the time, the Irish played in a matchup of similar magnitude last season when they welcomed the Georgia Bulldogs to South Bend.

At the time, no one had much of an inkling that both teams would eventually climb into the playoff rankings.

This time, however, if both the Irish and Wolverines climb the polls, no one will be as surprised. This time, Notre Dame is prepared for an early-season marquee moment in a way that they probably weren’t prepared for last season, amid the departures of the likes of Deshone Kizer and Will Fuller, only to add on top of that changes at nearly every assistant coaching position.

Of course, there is the chance that one or both of the Irish and Wolverines won’t live up to the hype. If so, both Kelly and Harbaugh figure to find themselves with their seat getting a little warm.

For the Irish and Brian Kelly, this particular week one battle is of the utmost importance. If the Irish pull off the victory, the groundwork could be laid for Kelly to solidify himself as “the man” in South Bend. If they fail, it will go down as another missed opportunity for Notre Dame’s head coach to raise his program to the national contender the fans crave.

For more on this and other Notre Dame Football news, tune in to the Under the Dome Podcast: