ESPN: Notre Dame Is An Unlikely Playoff Team In 2023
According to ESPN, the Notre Dame football team is an unlikely College Football Playoff contender in 2023. The Fighting Irish were listed as one of 17 teams with a shot at making the playoff this season, but when you dive into the article you see that ESPN is not high on Notre Dame's chances for 2023.
ESPN's FPI (Football Power Index) had Notre Dame listed with 15.8% chance of making the playoff, and with just a 1.6% chance to win the national championship. Count ESPN's Heather Dinich as yet another personality at the network that doesn't think the Irish are legit in 2023.
"It's a bit of a stretch to consider the Irish a playoff contender in the second season under Marcus Freeman, but they shouldn't be counted out entirely following a strong finish."
That was Dinich's response to whether or not she agrees with the FPI rankings, and it's very dismissive of Notre Dame's chances to be a playoff team. That's not necessarily a criticism of Dinich's view, as Notre Dame still has a lot to prove in the second season of the Freeman tenure.
The FPI has Notre Dame's playoff odds and championship odds as the ninth best in college football, just ahead of Oklahoma, Penn State, Oregon and Florida State. I would argue that's actually a respectable ranking for a team coming off a 9-4 season, although I'm scratching my head at Oklahoma being 10th, which is tied with Penn State and ahead of Florida State.
Here is more of what Dinich had to say about the Irish. Here's her comments on Notre Dame's toughest test:
"Sept. 23 vs. Ohio State. Notre Dame lost to the Buckeyes 21-10 in last year's season opener, but it was still viewed by many as a respectable debut for Freeman. Now, having home field advantage, this will be a good gauge to determine how much better the Irish will be in his second season -- and how far they have to go to close the gap with the nation's elite."
Here are her comments about what the committee will like about the 2023 Notre Dame squad:
"Wins against Power 5 conference champions. Because Notre Dame remains independent and can't win a conference title, it faces a higher burden of proof in the selection committee meeting room to finish in the top four. There is no better way to prove its playoff caliber to the committee than by beating what could be other Power 5 conference champions. In this case, Ohio State, Clemson and USC. Imagine if all three of those opponents won their respective leagues -- but lost to the Irish. Suddenly, those percentages above would change drastically, wouldn't they?"
Here are her comments about what the committee won't like:
"Another loss to an inferior opponent. Notre Dame's loss to Marshall was one of the biggest upsets of the season last year, but it was the Oct. 15 loss to Stanford that raised eyebrows. The win ended Stanford's 11-game losing streak against FBS opponents. If the Irish are going to reassert themselves nationally, those kinds of losses can't happen again. Without a conference title, Notre Dame can basically afford to lose one game -- and it better be a close one to another playoff contender like Ohio State, USC or Clemson."
Notre Dame opponents Ohio State (No. 1), USC (No. 6) and Clemson (No. 7) are all ranked ahead of the Irish in this article.
Unlike other ESPN articles previewing the Notre Dame team, Dinich does get all the facts and data correct. One recent ESPN article about the Irish discussed how Howard Cross III isn't your typical 3-3-5 nose tackle. Of course, Notre Dame doesn't run a 3-3-5 base defense, they are a 4-2-5 base defense.
Notre Dame freshman wide receiver Jaden Greathouse and linebacker Preston Zinter have also been mentioned in recent articles as contenders for playing time at tight end.
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