Notre Dame football needs to put the rivalry aside, and root for chaos down the stretch from their most hated nemesis
If you would ask Notre Dame football fans which programs they despise most, there would be two clear answers. Some would say the Michigan Wolverines, while others would say the USC Trojans. The Fighting Irish obviously have a chance to continue their rivalry against USC this weekend, the last remaining hurdle for a College Football […]
If you would ask Notre Dame football fans which programs they despise most, there would be two clear answers. Some would say the Michigan Wolverines, while others would say the USC Trojans. The Fighting Irish obviously have a chance to continue their rivalry against USC this weekend, the last remaining hurdle for a College Football Playoff berth.
While the Trojans should get all of the attention this week, Notre Dame will also have a curious eye on the Michigan-Ohio State game. Naturally, you would assume that Irish fans would hope for the Wolverine's demise, this game is a unique one. In fact, they should rid the hatred from their hearts, and root for the Buckeyes to lose on Saturday.
With Michigan sitting with just a 6-5 overall record, they are no threat to Notre Dame. This game will merely decide which lower-end bowl game they play in, nothing more. For Ohio State, there are much bigger things on the line.
Currently sitting at No. 2 in the last playoff ranking, the Buckeyes will be in the playoff field barring something catastrophic down the stretch. If the season ended today, Ohio State would be locked into the fifth seed in the playoffs as the top-ranked non-conference winner. Obviously, things will change, and there is a rematch more likely on the table with Oregon that will decide seeding.
Most have already overlooked this game against Michigan, the Buckeyes currently sitting as 20.5-point favorites at home. On paper, this game probably shouldn’t be close, but rivalry games aren’t won and lost on paper. If the 2024 college football season has taught us anything, there are no absolutes. Anything can happen.
Michigan beating Ohio State is the best-case scenario for Notre Dame. If the Buckeyes do lose, then there is a very good chance that Notre Dame jumps in front of them in the final ranking. That would drop their record to 10-2 overall, and would also push Ohio State out of the Big Ten Championship game.
Without that final rematch against Oregon, meaning Penn State would face off against the Ducks, there is almost no chance for the Buckeyes to recover enough to jump Notre Dame again. They will still be in the playoffs, but it’s about positioning for the Irish. That is the chaos that Notre Dame needs for their final push for the No. 5 seed.
Now this is a very unlikely scenario. The Wolverines are huge underdogs for a reason. As painful as this is to say, we are all Michigan fans this weekend. Go Blue (yuck)!
