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Notre Dame football: Irish lose to Cincinnati, likely ending CFP hopes

By Brad Weiss

Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) is hit while throwing in the second half of the NCAA football game on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. Cincinnati Bearcats defeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish 24-13.Cincinnati Bearcats At Notre Dame Fighting Irish 232
Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) is hit while throwing in the second half of the NCAA football game on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. Cincinnati Bearcats defeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish 24-13.Cincinnati Bearcats At Notre Dame Fighting Irish 232 /
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The Notre Dame football team lost to Cincinnati on Saturday, 24-13, and in the process, likely ended any hopes of a CFP berth.

In a matchup of two top-10 teams inside Notre Dame Stadium, the Notre Dame football team battled it out against the Cincinnati Bearcats. With a ton of red in the stands, it was clear that the Bearcats traveled well for this matchup, and the visiting team would send them home happy after their 24-13 victory.

Notre Dame football once again came out the gate sputtering on offense, and eventually, Drew Pyne replaced Jack Coan for good at quarterback. Pyne had his moments in this one and moved the offense more efficiently than Coan did, but in the end, the Bearcats proved to be the better team in this one.

Early on, it looked like we could be in for a blowout, as the Bearcats got out to a 17-0 halftime lead. However, the Irish did fight back, as has been their MO all season long, and pulled within three in the fourth quarter thanks to a Pyne to Braden Lenzy long touchdown pass.

Unfortunately, that was as close as the Irish would make it, as Cincinnati scored a touchdown on their next possession, and would hold Notre Dame football scoreless the rest of the way. Overall, the loss left the Irish with questions on both sides of the ball and ended Notre Dame’s 26-game home win streak.

Notre Dame football falls to 4-1 on the season

With the loss, the Irish fell to 4-1 on the young season, and will now hit the road to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies before their bye week. Notre Dame football had been hoping for a return trip to the College Football Playoff, though an undefeated regular season was likely needed for them to get there.

However, after struggling to get their first four wins, including almost losing to Florida State and Toledo, the Irish will likely take a huge tumble in the rankings after this loss. Also, when it comes time to vote on the CFP, Notre Dame football may have eliminated themselves from consideration on Saturday.

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