On Saturday, October 18th evening in South Bend, the USC Trojans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will meet for the 96th time. The Trojans’ record is nearly flawless, marred only by a narrow defeat to Illinois, and their improved defense helped power a statement victory over Michigan. On the flip side, Marcus Freeman’s boys have rebounded from a 0-2 start with four straight wins, though those early losses came against their only ranked opponents. Since then, the Irish have toppled Purdue, Arkansas, Boise State, and NC State. However, despite their score, their gift turned into a burden.

The tensions are rising high for the Riley vs Freeman showdown. The rivalry face-off is going to be a playoff game as well. On the October 15th episode of the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, the hosts collaborated with Josh Pate’s podcast. Pate shared, “Playoff on the line for Notre Dame.” To which Taylor Lewan interrupted, saying, “Playoff on the line for both teams.” 

Pate then corrected him, stating, “But for USC, this is not a conference game for them. So, they’re still technically in the Big 10 race if they lose Saturday. Notre Dame has no conference race to be in. They have no bailout. Let’s make sure we go win the conference. So, this is it for them.”

But last season, it was a blessing for Freeman and his boys. The absence of a conference championship game provided Notre Dame with an additional week to rest and prepare for the CFP. By skipping a conference title game, Freeman and co. avoided the risk of a late-season loss. This move helped them maintain their College Football Playoff ranking without added pressure. This makes this weekend’s game a do-or-die situation for the Fighting Irish. So, can Freeman and his boys make the most use of the pressure? 

Nebraska alum Will Compton did not sound very confident about Notre Dame’s chances. “Just to go off with you with that defensive resurgence at Notre Dame, I feel like a lot of teams when you’re down, you’re in more desperation mode, to where you’re throwing the ball more. If you look at the stats of Notre Dame, they’ve had three interceptions in the second half these last couple of weeks,” Compton exposed the loopholes in Freeman’s squad. 

In his return from injury, Leonard Moore snagged two of Notre Dame’s four interceptions as the No. 21 Irish rolled past Boise State 28-7. The two other interceptions were added by Freeman’s safety duo, Tae Johnson and Luke Talich. “Notre Dame’s able to lean on them, get it going. Then obviously you’re forcing throws. That’s where a lot of the interception moments come in…I think they’re a very good team. I think Notre Dame’s a good team, but with nine and a half points, like I’m taking USC 10 times out of 10 here,” Campbell dropped his take. Now, what does Pate think about Freeman and co.s road to the playoffs?

The CFP script that writes itself as Marcus Freeman’s squad is plagued with injury woes

The Fighting Irish are now riding high on a four-win streak. This calls for a playoff conversation. That’s when Pate, on the October 6th episode of his podcast, shared his take on Freeman’s Notre Dame’s CFP fate. “Let’s say legitimately there are no ranked wins, whatever that means, on Notre Dame’s schedule come season’s end. If they’re 10 and two, I’m telling you, as sure as the sun will rise on selection Sunday, what the talking points will be, and they will work,” said Pate.

Notre Dame’s two likely losses, to powerhouses like Texas A&M and Miami, qualify as “quality” setbacks, not blowouts. However, coming under the CFP framework, Freeman and his boys could still grab a top-four seed and a first-round bye despite not playing a conference title game. The moral? Freeman and the Fighting Irish might win a national title in 15 games while others grind through 16 or 17—an advantage critics call “absolute garbage.”

Yet then, there are certain things that still won’t be under his control. The injured players’ burden is one of them. Before the NC State face-off, Freeman confirmed his injury woes. As Chuck Freeby tweeted, “Notre Dame announces Devonta Smith (calf), Jaden Greathouse (thigh), and Will Black (concussion) are all out for this week’s game with NC State. Kicker Noah Burnette (hip) and tight end Cooper Flanagan (achilles) are questionable.” What’s the latest update before the USC face-off?

Does not look quite promising. Marcus Freeman is still hoping against hope and praying hard for Devonta Smith, Will Black, and Jaden Greathouse, who still sit in the “questionable” list. The ones out for the game are WR Micah Gilbert, OL Charles Jagusah, and OL Peter Jones. Freeman’s squad’s up next- can they keep up with Lincoln Riley’s boys?