Notre Dame football: Irish have turned into the underdog
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team came into the season with high expectations, but after the bye week, they will assume an underdog role the rest of the way.
Over the past game and a half, we have seen a different Notre Dame football team, one that we expected to see all season long. However, after losing to Ohio State, and then shockingly at Marshall, the Irish fell off the map, and are starting to build back up.
The Irish looked strong in the second half against Cal, picking up the first victory of the Marcus Freeman era, and then they absolutely dominated against UNC. That was the kind of win the Irish needed heading into their bye week, but after the break, some big-time matchups loom for the Golden Domers.
Based on their body of work so far this season, there is reason to believe that the Irish will be underdogs in multiple games the rest of the way, starting with their first game out of the break against BYU.
Notre Dame football is likely an underdog vs BYU, Clemson, and USC
BYU is currently ranked in the top-25, and we will see on Thursday night whether or not they go into the matchup with the Irish with another win under their belt. After the BYU game, the Syracue matchup will be a tough one based on how well the Orange have played this season, and we know the Irish will be underdogs against the likes of Clemson and USC.
For Freeman and his team, that should be a rallying cry, as it is always easier to go into the matchup without huge expectations upon them. Clemson and USC are rivalry games, and could have major College Football Playoff implications, so while the Irish may seem dead in the water in terms of the playoff right now, wins over those two teams will certainly muddy the waters a bit.