Notre Dame football heads into the final week of the 2025 College Football regular season. With the Fighting Irish sitting with a 9-2 overall record and a No. 9 ranking in the latest College Football Playoff ranking, their biggest concern will be to defeat Stanford on Saturday night. That’s the only priority for head coach Marcus Freeman right now. 

If Notre Dame wins convincingly this weekend, they have all but solidified their spot in the playoffs. In order to maximize their path, the Irish will be keeping a close eye on the other scores around the country. There are several games during rivalry week that hold huge relevance on what the final playoff ranking could look like. Here’s what Notre Dame fans should be hoping for over the next couple of days. 

(22) Pittsburgh over (12) Miami 

While the close loss to Miami isn’t a bad part of the resume, losing to Pitt wouldn’t hurt Notre Dame at all, especially with the Irish holding a dominant victory over the Panthers as a part of their resume as well. There has been an annoying talking point about the head to head matchup by Miami fans, and that conversation could end this weekend. If the Hurricanes do lose, their record will fall to 9-3 and would eliminate them from playoff contention. 

Mississippi State over (7) Ole Miss 

From a pure talent perspective, Ole Miss has the advantage in this football game. With the Lane Kiffin drama swirling, however, that could potentially level the playing field. Perhaps the Rebel players are fully locked in even with the distraction, but there’s a chance that it has taken up too much attention. If Mississippi State is able to pull off the update, Ole Miss will more than likely fall behind Notre Dame. 

(3) Texas A&M over (16) Texas 

It’s time for Texas to officially ride off into the sunset, and for Texas A&M to solidify their spot right at the top of the playoffs. Aside from Notre Dame potentially winning ten straight games to end the season, their one-point loss to the Aggies is the strongest part of their resume. You want them to keeping if you’re a Notre Dame fan. 

Washington over (6) Oregon 

While Washington is a solid team sitting with an 8-3 overall record, they are currently unranked by the playoff committee. If Oregon did lose to their rival, it would drop their record to 10-2, and a fascinating discussion between them and Notre Dame would begin. The Ducks are undoubtedly a very good team, but you could make a very strong argument for the Irish at that point. 

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Ryan Roberts