Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Showed Program Maturity In CFP Ramp-Up

Notre Dame’s preparation for the College Football Playoff showcased the program’s growth and maturity. Here’s what set it apart

John Kennedy

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti holds his arms out during the first round of the College Football Playoff between Notre Dame and Indiana at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti holds his arms out during the first round of the College Football Playoff between Notre Dame and Indiana at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Notre Dame let Indiana dominate the headlines

Leading into Notre Dame's CFP battle with Indiana, things were relatively quiet from the Irish side. Most national headlines and social media content focused on the Hoosier side.

Coach Cignetti, never low on confidence, provided so much "bulletin board material" that Staples ran out of bulletin boards.

From "Google me, I win" to comments about winning all, not just some national coaching awards, to "we don't just beat rank teams, we beat the (blank) out of them," the quotes kept coming, and the national and social media reactions soon followed.

This was ideal for the Irish. Notre Dame let all of this media attention gravitate towards the Indiana side while the Irish stayed on task, flew under the radar, and simply focused on business.

Marcus Freeman & his Irish program are maturing, can they take the next step towards national credibility?

Notre Dame handled the buildup to this moment wonderfully. Coach Freeman had his team focused on the right things, for the right reasons, and let his team's play on the field do all the talking.

A lot of boxes were checked for Notre Dame against Indiana. Most notably, both Notre Dame and Freeman collected their first CFP wins. Now the question becomes how far can the Irish run with this momentum.

Coach Freeman has shown a consistent ability to prepare his teams physically and mentally for their biggest games. Next up comes Georgia, the biggest test yet, a test that just got harder with the news of Ryllie Mills' injury status.

The Irish gained a certain amount of national "belonging" credibility by downing Indiana, but Georgia is at a different level.

Defeating the Bulldogs would take Irish credibility to a whole new place. Can the Irish start the new year off with the biggest win for the Irish program in decades? We are about to find out.

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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John Kennedy
JOHN KENNEDY

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