Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame Are Thriving Under Immense Pressure This Season

Despite high expectations and intense scrutiny, Marcus Freeman has Notre Dame thriving under immense pressure this season.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball for a touchdown during a NCAA college football game against Virginia at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame has had to be perfect since the NIU disaster to stay in CFP hunt

Going into this season, I felt that an 11-1 Notre Dame team would comfortably make the new 12-team CFP field. I always felt that the Irish had a game of leeway to play with.

What I wasn't counting on was Notre Dame burning the margin it had against NIU in week two of the season. This result changed things.

Everyone knew, fans, media, and the team itself, that to make the playoff the Irish would have to win out from that week on.

This was a tall task to ask, but was the position the team put itself in by overlooking the Huskies and performing horrifically on offense that day. Notre Dame got what it deserved, the only question was how would the team respond to this immense week-to-week pressure.

HERE COME THE IRISH ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/FLkEVuNytP

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 17, 2024

Notre Dame responds with eight-game and counting winning streak

After the disappointment and embarrassment of the NIU loss, and after suffering a rash of serious and unfortunate injuries, Notre Dame could've folded and ended up going 8-4 or 9-3. But instead, the team has knocked off eight wins in a row by an impressive combined score of 343-85.

Marcus Freeman and his team have both grown a ton this year. Freeman seems much more confident and comfortable in how he carries himself as a head coach in 2024 than he ever did in his first two seasons. And as for the players?

It's as if they are immune to pressure.

They have taken it upon themselves to hold each other accountable. There's been a standard. And that standard is to win every single week. And they've done just that.

The only question left now is, will the Irish beat Army & Navy to complete the comeback? Stay tuned for that answer.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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