Notre Dame football projected to face off against old rival in CFB playoffs

Now that there’s officially 12 teams allowed in the CFB playoffs, Notre Dame football is considered a near sure thing to make the field in 2024. The question now is just where they might finish and who they might play in the first round.

Noted college football analyst Andy Staples has a pretty good idea for who the Irish will be taking on. And it’s an old rival that could give the first-round playoff game some added … “oomph.”

Staples actually put together predictions for all of the first couple of rounds. He not only picked who is making the field but also who they’re going to face off against. The projections lay out some very interesting tilts, including the Notre Dame football game.

Notre Dame football faces off against old rival in latest CFB projections

Staples’ latest projections also give everyone a good feel for what teams are going to make the playoffs. There is exactly one Group of 5 team in the field. 

The top four seeds in Staples’ projection get a first round bye and there’s at least one surprise in those top four. Ohio State gets the 1-seed, Georgia is the 2-seed, Florida State gets the 3-seed and Kansas State gets the 4-seed.

As far as the first round goes, the Buckeyes are going to face a rematch of some sort, whether it’s the game against the Irish from last year, or yet another matchup against its chief rival in Michigan.

Marcus Freeman and company are set to face off against the Michigan Wolverines in an eight-nine seed matchup. The other first-round games feature Alabama vs. Boise State in a five-twelve game, Oregon vs. Tennesee in the six-eleven game, and Texas vs. Ole Miss in the seven-ten game.

Obviously, it’s far too early to know if any of these projections are close to accurate. But it’s a fun look into where the Notre Dame football season could go this fall.