Is Notre Dame Really College Football Playoff, National Semi-Final Good?

The Athletic has predicted Notre Dame to be among the final four teams playing for the national championship

Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman speaks to Kahanu Kia (43) and Devan Houstan (98) Saturday, April 20, 2024, at the annual Notre Dame Blue-Gold spring football game at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. / MANDATORY CREDIT GREG SWIERCZ / USA TODAY NETWORK

Folks all over the nation are getting their final picks for the college football season in as things officially get underway on Saturday when Georgia Tech battles Florida State in Ireland.

For those interested, I did a quick look at that game and shared my picks against the number.

The Athletic was one of the most recent to get in on the season picks the outlet certainly has high expectations for Notre Dame in 2024.

The Athletic Picks Notre Dame to College Football Playoff Semi-Finals

Will Notre Dame make the College Football Playoff?

Manny Navarro of The Athletic isn't so worried about if Notre Dame will make the playoff but more interested in just how high the Irish will be seeded.

Navarro is very high on Notre Dame and calls for the Irish to be playing in the national semi-final.

"The Irish are one of only four teams, according to BetMGM, with an over/under win total of 10.5 or higher. After losing at Texas A&M on opening night, Notre Dame will run the table and earn the No. 5 seed in the CFP behind Heisman finalist Riley Leonard. The Duke transfer should thrive with a better collection of receivers than Sam Hartmanhad last year. I’ve got Leonard throwing 27 touchdowns and running for 10 more. Safety Xavier Watts, coming off a nation-leading seven picks, will lead another top-10 scoring defense for the Irish, who will get to the CFP semifinals after beating the Big 12 champion in the quarterfinals." - Manny Navarro, The Athletic

Navarro calls for Ohio State to beat Georgia in the national championship game but does not mention who either will play in the semi-finals or the fourth national semifinalist.

Notre Dame is Good, But is Notre Dame That Good?

Notre Dame's win total is very high as Navarro states. I guess what I'm not as sold on is that a one-loss Notre Dame team will safely get the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the College Football Playoff. If it's 12-0 that's another story but the lack of depth on Notre Dame's schedule after Texas A&M, Louisville, Florida State, and USC likely won't be rewarded.

The offensive line remains the biggest concern going into the year. As camp winds down and prep for Texas A&M ramps up, the offensive line only seems to have more questions than answers.

Not great when you're getting ready to play an elite defensive front like Texas A&M's.

With that said, Notre Dame also offers an elite defensive front and better defense overall from front to back.

How both teams manage to score points remains to be seen as I still feel like 47.5 is too high for the total.

As for the rest of the slate, I feel good about both big home games against Louisville and Florida State, but the trip to USC is never easy and having to play the Trojans late in the year after they've had time to get Lincoln Riley's offense down will certainly be a challenge.

At this point I feel good enough about Notre Dame being able to win 11 games, but until I see the offensive line in action quieting my concerns, I'm not sold on the Irish being able to beat two playoff teams on consecutive weekends.

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