Notre Dame staked their claim to a playoff berth with a dominating 70-7 win over Syracuse Orange. The Fighting Irish are 9-2 after this win, thanks to an explosive performance by their offense led by Jeremiyah Love. With this performance, Love has catapulted right back into the Heisman conversation after falling behind in recent weeks. At the same time, an interesting fact has surfaced supporting his claim to the best athlete award in college football.

Analysts Todd McShay and Steve Muench discussed the potential Heisman candidates on the Nov 23 episode of The McShay Show. Did you see this wild Heisman factoid? I’m trying to find the list right now as you’re talking, but did you know that every year that has ended in five since 1945, a running back has won the Heisman,” Steve noted. A fact that would surely make Jeremiyah Love smile. Todd McShay pitched in. He said, “I saw something that alluded to.” 

Running backs have won before, as Reggie Bush won in 2005 with 2,218 yards and 18 touchdowns at USC, garnering 784 first-place votes. However, his trophy was later stripped and ultimately reinstated. Eddie George dominated in 1995 at Ohio State, leading the nation with 24 touchdowns and 1,826 yards. He won by 264 points over Nebraska’s Tommie Frazier after running for 100 yards in 11 consecutive games. Derrick Henry was the last running back to win it in 2015. And if fate plays its role this year, Jeremiyah Love would be another to join the storied list.

While the fact indicates a Heisman Trophy for the Fighting Irish running back but his stake to the honor isn’t just based on that. Jeremiyah Love’s Heisman trajectory is a bit different than most of his competitors. Amidst a quiet regular season overshadowed by quarterback conversations, Love has altered the Heisman conversation completely. His performance against Syracuse has brought him straight back to the top with the likes of Fernando Mendoza, Julian Sayin, and Jeremiah Smith. Love has become the engine that powers Notre Dame’s playoff push as he leads an offense designed for the run game. He has 1,306 yards for 17 touchdowns in 185 carries and has brilliantly supported freshman QB CJ Carr.

His competitors have been doing well and have their own reasons to win the trophy. Fernando Mendoza has been consistent throughout the season and is unbeaten. He is joined by OSU’s dynamic wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. But even though the top few candidates look amazing, Jeremiyah Love was beyond that in his outing against Syracuse. He raked in 171 yards and three TDs on just eight carries. His odds have changed dramatically from 25000 to 3000 in a span of 24 hours.

“I can’t imagine why Jeremiyah Love wouldn’t be right there with those guys. You talk about value to a team that’s like right in the middle of the playoffs,” McShay continued. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is all set to make a bid for the playoffs.

Notre Dame’s win sends a direct message to the CFP committee

Notre Dame didn’t just win the game; rather, it was an annihilation. It was a statement of intent for the playoffs meant for the committee. The Fighting Irish scored 21 points even before their offense took to the field, a record-setting performance solidifying their claim. Their starters made their way to the sidelines after Love completed the 3rd touchdown, taking the lead to 56-0. This performance should be enough to silence the critics who have cited a favourable schedule as their reason for making it. Additionally, they have been called out on a head-to-head loss to Miami, who are ranked lower than the Irish, even though they have a similar record.

The new chairperson of the CFP committee spoke up on the matter. “I think there are some other factors where you have Utah, BYU, and Alabama in between Notre Dame and Miami,” Hunter Yurachek said. “As we set up the pools to do our selection process, Miami and Notre Dame have not been grouped in the same pools. To have that direct head-to-head comparison, where you would really use that metric to separate one team from the next. So I think it’s the separation you have between those teams, similar to the separation you have right now between Vanderbilt and Texas, where you have a head-to-head metric as well.”

The committee has made a deliberate choice not to compare Notre Dame and Miami directly; instead, it’s using other teams as buffers in the rankings. The Syracuse win strengthens Notre Dame’s game-control metric and locks in their playoff spot heading into the Stanford finale. A win next weekend all but guarantees a first-round home playoff game, regardless of what happens around the country in rivalry week. Mario Cristobal and Miami, in the meantime, are left to fend for themselves.