Plenty of analysts believe that Notre Dame will be one of the best teams in the country, but one sports writer believes the Fighting Irish will not only rise to the College Football Playoff finals, but also make the game an in-state affair.
Bill Bender released his CFP predictions on Tuesday morning and laid out everything from who will make the field to how every round will play out. The Fighting Irish are slated to get the No. 3 seed in the field and then make a run all the way to the last game of the season for the second time in three seasons. This time, instead of facing off against this generation's nemesis in Ohio State, Bender believes Marcus Freeman and Co. will face off against Curt Cignetti and Indiana, also for the second time in three seasons.
The last time Notre Dame played the Hoosiers, it was the first-ever playoff game held in South Bend. It was also the first playoff appearance for Cignetti's crew. This season, should it happen again, IU will be the weathered veteran looking to stage a second straight national title run. For the Irish to get there, they won't have an easy road.
Bender believes the Golden Domers earn a first-round bye and then take on No. 6 Oregon, who overcame 11th-seeded BYU to get to the second round:
Bill Bender predicts Notre Dame football will reach the CFP championship game
"Lanning and Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman are the top two coaches who have yet to win a national championship in our 1-138 Coach Rankings," Bender wrote. "This would make for an outstanding Cotton Bowl matchup – especially with quarterbacks CJ Carr and Dante Moore. The Irish and Ducks also return several key players on defenses that ranked 11th and 12th, respectively, in scoring defense last season."
The analyst then has the Fighting Irish once more staging a College Football Playoff rematch, this time in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia. While the writer notes that Gunnar Stockton will have a chance to get revenge, it appears he also believes the Bulldogs will fall to Notre Dame … for the second time in three seasons.
In the meantime, Bender has Indiana winning its semifinal game (going through Ole Miss and Texas), and then the two Hoosier State schools will take each other on.Â
The Sporting News analyst does stop short of picking who will win this final game:
"Imagine the hysteria in the state of Indiana leading up to this CFP championship matchup; especially with the Irish going for their first national championship since 1988. Notre Dame won the last playoff meeting 27-17 on Dec. 20, 2024. Would the Hoosiers win the fourth consecutive national championships for the Big Ten?"
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