Notre Dame football not 'intimidated' by any team as they make final push

Two things can be true about the Notre Dame football team at once. They are very aware that everyone remembers that they lost to Northern Illinois earlier this season. They are also not going to let them get in the way of their run to the playoffs and whatever happens once they get there.

The Fighting Irish aren’t ignoring that loss. Nor are they ignoring wins like the one they got over Navy. But it’s clear the mindset right now is that the NIU loss was a wakeup call and that they aren’t taking any team for granted. But they also aren’t going to be intimidated by any team. Either on their schedule or in the future.

Notre Dame football has been as dominant as anyone in the last eight games. And that’s why starting quarterback Riley Leonard isn’t worried about saying things that could be seen as bulletin board material. “I don’t think that there is any team that really intimidates us too much.”

Notre Dame football not scared of a single team in 2024

The Irish haven’t just won eight games in a row. They’ve won those games by an average of 32.5 points. There was one close contest in the entire slate. They’ve been dominant.

And now, they’re in position to host a first round playoff game. Getting to see an SEC squad travel to South Bend should and has given Leonard and company plenty of confidence as well.

Now, the Notre Dame football team just needs to take care of business. If they do, then Leonard’s comments could just be the start of something much bigger.