Notre Dame’s biggest thorn in their side still remains on the quest for Marcus Freeman to lead the Irish on another deep playoff run
Notre Dame has to find a way to solve their Ohio State problem.
With only one regular season game remaining, Notre Dame football is one dominant victory over the Stanford Cardinal away from cementing a place in the College Football Playoff. In the most recent playoff ranking, head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish remained at No. 9. That is where the team has been each of the last three weeks.
If the season ended today, Notre Dame would be making the trip out to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners. That has been the projected matchup each of the last two weeks, and it makes for a really intriguing first round matchup for the Irish. It would be, however, just the first step in the program’s quest for a National Title run.
If Notre Dame were able to beat the Sooners on the road, their second round matchup would include the biggest remaining opponent hurdle for Freeman to get over: Find a way to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes. That has been the game that has been holding this Notre Dame program back the most. At some point, Freeman and company need to get over that last hurdle.
A road game against the Oklahoma Sooners
Let’s get the conversation out of the way quickly – there’s a clear reason why Notre Dame is projected to be favorites on the road against Oklahoma if the season ended today. The Sooners’ defense is outstanding, and it would undoubtedly give the Irish offensive line some issues in the matchup. Head coach Brent Venables has done a tremendous job building that side of the football up.
The Oklahoma offense, however, has been very poor for most of the 2025 season. Quarterback John Mateer has regressed in a big way over the last several weeks, which has hurt the entire process of the unit. It’s hard to imagine that Oklahoma would score a ton against the talented Notre Dame defense.
You would have to feel great about CJ Carr and Jeremiyah Love being able to make a couple of big plays to win the football game. The odds would certainly be in their favor.
The thorn in Notre Dame’s side
When it comes to Ohio State, they are the last thorn in the side for the Irish in their quest to win a National Championship. Folks obviously tuned into the title game last season, seeing the Buckeyes get out to a huge lead. Despite a strong comeback attempt from Freeman’s squad, it wasn’t enough, falling one game short of the ultimate goal.
So far in Freeman’s tenure, he holds an impressive 42-12 overall record with the Irish. That does, however, include a 0-3 record against Ohio State. Beating his Alma mater holds the key to winning a championship, and it would be interesting if the teams did indeed get matched up in the second round. It would be poetic for Notre Dame to defeat the Buckeyes on its way to their first national championship in over 35 years.
There will be some Notre Dame fans who will hope that they can avoid the Buckeyes, hope they trip up, and the Fighting Irish have an easier path toward a championship. For me, however, I don’t want to avoid them. I want Notre Dame to keep getting chances until they eventually break through.
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