8 Most Likely Opponents for Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff First Round

Let's say Notre Dame makes the College Football Playoff. Depending on the seed, what eight teams are the most likely options?

Sep 16, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman stands with his team for the Notre Dame Alma Mater after Notre Dame defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas at Notre Dame Stadium. / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s just assume everything works out and Notre Dame ends up in the College Football Playoff. Who would it play? Where would it be?

If you don’t know by now, Notre Dame can’t be any higher than a 5 seed - that’s a plus, by the way, but that’s for a different article - because the top four seeds are only for conference champions.

With just a few weeks to go before the crazy speculation is over and we can start getting into how this is all shaking out, let’s fast forward four months. It's all about what seed the Irish get from 5 to 12.

What if Notre Dame gets into the College Football Playoff and ….

Notre Dame is the 12 seed
August call on the likely College Football Playoff opponent: Alabama

Alabama or Texas. The SEC Championship loser probably gets the 5 seed if it’s not Notre Dame. If the Irish somehow slip into the CFP as the 12, that means the top-ranked Group of Five champion is somewhere in the top 11. That’s probably not happening, so don’t worry about being the 12.

Last season the opponent would’ve been: Florida State

Notre Dame is the 11 seed
August call on the likely College Football Playoff opponent: Texas

I’m not as much of a believer that Texas is a lock for the College Football Playoff - much less the top four - as everyone else. Assuming the Longhorns survive their Welcome to the SEC season, they’ll probably be good enough to get a first round home game. The ESPN types would hardly be mad with an Irish-Longhorn matchup.

Last season the opponent would’ve been: Georgia

Notre Dame is the 10 seed
August call on the likely College Football Playoff opponent: Michigan

This is assuming the NCAA will still allow Michigan to play college football in the post-season. Call No. 1 on this: Yes. Of course Michigan will be able to play in the new CFP - it’s the NCAA. Call No. 2: The Wolverines are still good - not national title good, though - and get either the 8 or the 9.

Last season the opponent would’ve been: Ohio State

Notre Dame is the 9 seed
August call on the likely College Football Playoff opponent: Ole Miss

The August belief is that five SEC teams will get into the College Football Playoff. The Rebels vs the Fighting Irish would be a blast of the game, and …

Last season the opponent would’ve been: Oregon

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin watches during the Ole Miss Grove Bowl Games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Apr. 13, 2024. / Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

Notre Dame is the 8 seed
August call on the likely College Football Playoff opponent: Ole Miss

Same thing as the 9, only Lane Kiffin and the Rebels would have to come to South Bend in late December.

Last season the opponent would’ve been: Missouri

Notre Dame is the 7 seed
August call on the likely College Football Playoff opponent: Penn State

The belief is that Penn State will go Penn State. It’ll beat most of the teams it’s supposed to, lose to Ohio State and let’s go with at USC, and overall the schedule won’t be quite strong enough to push past the 10 in the final College Football Playoff rankings. And …

Last season the opponent would’ve been: Penn State

Notre Dame is the 6 seed
August call on the likely College Football Playoff opponent: Texas A&M

I know, YUCK. But assuming the Group of Five champion is the 12 seed, Notre Dame will probably get the fifth-best team in the SEC. Again on the coin-flip, it’ll either be Tennessee or Texas A&M. If it’s a rematch of the Week 1 date with the Aggies, at least it’ll be in South Bend this time.



Last season the opponent would’ve been: Ole Miss

Notre Dame is the 5 seed
August call on the likely College Football Playoff opponent: Memphis

Flip a coin on the top Group of Five champion who’d get in. It’s either Memphis or Boise State, and … heads. Memphis. A late season Boise State loss will screw things up for the eventual Mountain West champion.

Last season the opponent would’ve been: Liberty

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