If you’re a Notre Dame fan still traumatized by every 10-2 season ending in heartbreak, buckle up because things might finally be changing in your favor. For years, the Irish have lived and died by the pursuit of perfection. One slip-up? Maybe. Two? Pack it in and hope for a Bowl invite. But 2025 may be the year your Sunday scaries turn into Saturday celebrations.

The Irish schedule used to read like an Oasis song: predictable, familiar, and unlikely to cause chaos. But that old narrative is heading for the recycling bin. With matchups against Texas A&M, Miami, and USC, it’s suddenly looking more like a gauntlet. There’s real meat on this bone. So what does that mean for playoff hopes if Notre Dame doesn’t run the table?

J.D. Pickell of On3 brought the heat in his recent breakdown, flipping the age-old Irish playoff logic on its head. “Notre Dame, with this schedule, does not need to go 11-1 to make the playoff, in my opinion,” he said, before delivering a line that’s already tattoo-worthy in South Bend. 

“This is not your dad’s Notre Dame schedule where they play a couple of cupcakes and play a couple of mid-ACC teams.” He’s got a point there. The Irish face what could be multiple playoff-bound teams. “I don’t think it’s crazy when you look at Notre Dame’s schedule to assume they could play two to three College Football Playoff teams, like Miami. I don’t think it’s crazy to say they make the playoffs. A&M and or USC. Even Boise State made the playoff last year.”

We are much more worried about A&M than Miami. Marcel Reed, KC Concepcion, and Ar’Maj Reed Adams are some formidable weapons in the roster. Yeah, the Irish got them by the neck in last year’s opener, but this year the Aggies are like 3x better on paper. It’s going to be a tough few weeks for the Irish. Notre Dame does not need to go 11-1 to make the playoff. This is not your dad’s Notre Dame schedule (no disrespect to your father)https://t.co/Uz1ayBvlWY pic.twitter.com/IaN1RQCDXw

It’s not just about quantity either. The quality of these matchups adds shine to any resume. “Even if you’re not believing the A&M and USC hype, Boise State and Miami, those are two playoff teams potentially, right? With how wide open the ACC feels,” Pickell explained. Moreover, Boise State. Yes, we know. No Ashton Jeanty, but the team tasted the playoffs just last year. Can’t underestimate them. We’d even go so far as to say that their last matchup against Stanford (at Stanford) is also a tough one, and not just because Stanford is improving. They’ll have to make a long trip with potentially connecting flights. Moreover, their bye week is Week 2, so that’s not beneficial either.

“So if Notre Dame goes 10-2 and they get two wins over playoff teams, are they getting left out of the playoffs? I don’t think so.” It’s a massive shift in the conversation. A 10-2 Notre Dame with a couple of top-10 pelts might just outshine a 10-2 team from the Big Ten stuck in a schedule traffic jam. 

It also means Marcus Freeman doesn’t need to chase the ghost of 2012 every fall. He can afford a bad day, maybe even two, and still walk into the playoff committee’s meeting room with his head high. That’s more than good news; that’s a recruiting pitch, a confidence boost, and a sanity saver for the Irish Nation.

So, Irish fans, ask yourself: would you rather go 11-1 against air or 10-2 after walking through a battlefield? Because in 2025, the committee might finally care more about who you beat than how many. And if that’s the case, Freeman and crew may have their golden ticket punched without being perfect. Finally, Notre Dame football might just get to eat its cake and still hear ‘Playoffs.’

The Irish can’t afford a Trojan trip-up

Notre Dame fans, please go ahead and circle Week 8 in permanent marker. Everything, from playoff hopes to bragging rights to maybe the entire rivalry’s future, boils down to this showdown against USC. It’s a survival test. And for Marcus Freeman, it might be the game that defines his season or ends it. The Trojans could be the single brick wall between South Bend and a return to the promised playoff land.

J.D. Pickell said. “This could be an elimination spot for Notre Dame,” he warned, laying it out as bluntly as you’d want if you’re a rival. He even backed Notre Dame to get through the stretch before USC. “I think all of those are wins up until USC,” he said, rattling off Purdue, Arkansas, Boise State, and NC State as stepping stones. But there’s a problem, Jayden Maiava. Last year, Maiava torched the Irish for 360 yards. And now, with not the best secondary, the Irish are looking at a tough matchup.

The margin for error? Nonexistent. Notre Dame’s defense might be good, but against a Riley offense with a quarterback that’s already haunted them once, one slip could send the whole Playoff run crashing down. Remember, they finished 14-2 last season and still missed the mark. “Boise State was a playoff team last year,” Pickell reminded, but even that didn’t scare him as much as this USC clash. That’s how much is riding on this game. It’s the season’s linchpin, maybe even Marcus Freeman’s too.