One thing that makes Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman so likable is that he’s not afraid to tell the truth. He’ll do that even if it gives his critics ammo.
On Monday, not long after the College Football Playoff announced it would expand to 24 teams in 2027, Freeman was asked his thoughts about the change. He essentially stated the obvious: this new format will benefit the Fighting Irish.
"I don't want this to be like March Madness and have 60-something teams … ” Freeman said during his Monday press conference. “ ... But the more opportunities we have to make the playoffs helps us. ... That doesn't mean it's good for everybody else, but for us at Notre Dame, it's a positive."
Freeman should really get quite a few points for being forthcoming about the fact that he doesn’t really care that other schools won’t get the same benefit the Irish get. The 24-team field would change the meaning of games like Freeman’s squad’s win over Miami. If they had lost that game and there had been a 24-team field, Notre Dame almost certainly would not have been eliminated from the playoffs.
Marcus Freeman says 24-team CFP expansion is clearly a positive for Notre Dame football
This year, had the Irish lost to the Hurricanes, the CFP Committee all but said they’d have no shot at making the 12-team field. Knowing that, Freeman had an obvious reason to be happy about the playoff expanding.
Plenty of people will point to his comments as “what’s wrong with Notre Dame,” but the fact is that plenty of other coaches are very, very happy they have renewed chances at making the playoffs. And those coaches are pretty happy that once a team gets into the playoffs, it’s anything goes, especially with so many chances to pull off an upset.
Freeman had no say in the expansion, so while plenty of people will try to claim he’s one of the people ruining college football, he’s simply going along with what his boss and the rest of the high-ranking officials in college football put in place.
However, he’d be lying if he claimed the 24-team field wouldn't benefit Notre Dame. Good on Marcus Freeman for admitting he’ll be plenty happy to make the playoffs next year, even if his team loses a game or two, while plenty of other coaches watch from their couches.
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