Notre Dame fans need to root for surprising teams outside of the Irish vs. BC that could make or break their Playoff chances
There are several programs that Notre Dame fans should be rooting for this weekend.
Head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football are set for game action against Boston College following a bye week. The Fighting Irish have won five straight contests after beginning the 2025 college football season with a 0-2 start. While it seems unlikely, they very much do still control most of their own destiny. Win the rest of your games, and you will more than likely earn a spot in the College Football Playoffs.
Outside of the Irish taking care of business against the Eagles, it wouldn’t hurt Notre Dame for a few outside upsets to take place across the landscape. That means that Notre Dame fans will need to root for several other programs other than the Irish on Saturday. Here are those games, and the outcomes you should be hoping for.
(20) Texas over (9) Vanderbilt
With how poorly Texas has been playing this season, I’m not overly worried about them making a huge run down the stretch of the season. The longer Vanderbilt remains up top, however, they potentially create a logjam of SEC teams in front of them. You want there to be more of a hierarchy in both the SEC and Big Ten ideally. The less parity (less teams who can qualify in the end), the better to help make sure you have a spot locked down.
NC State over (8) Georgia Tech
This matchup could be good for Notre Dame in a couple of different ways. With Georgia Tech being in front of the Irish, the first part is pretty basic: You want the teams in front of you to lose in an ideal world. With the Yellowjackets also being in the ACC, they will have to fight the battle of strength of schedule. If you drop a couple of games, it’s going to be tough for you to qualify for the playoffs outside of winning the conference.
With Notre Dame having a dominant 36 to 7 win over NC State a few weeks ago, it would strengthen the schedule a bit if the Wolfpack were able to come out with a big home victory. The spread is surprisingly close for where each team is with Georgia Tech favored by 5.5 points. This feels like the perfect spot for an upset bid, especially with Georgia Tech confident coming off of a blowout win over Syracuse last game.
Florida over (5) Georgia
There’s no question that Georgia is the better and more talented football team, and definitely more stable, but playing in the Swamp is never an easy task. Florida has been in some close games during the season, and they are still a talented team overall. If quarterback DJ Lagway can have a big day, they have a chance to keep the game close against the Bulldogs. If the game is close then perhaps the home field advantage kicks in during a crucial moment. Seeing any SEC or Big Ten team lose to an unranked program would be huge for the Irish.
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