It’s Notre Dame vs. Everybody—Just the Way It Should Be

Notre Dame thrives when it’s in the spotlight. It’s now the Irish vs. everybody—a classic scenario for the storied program.

Nov 16, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman prepares to lead his players onto the field for the game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Notre Dame chooses to be different, that brings with it some good and some bad

As an Independent, Notre Dame is and has been mostly on it own when it comes to navigating a college football landscape that has changed rapidly in the last five years.

Whether it's related to TV deals, filling out a schedule, bowl payouts, or finding a path to the CFP, the Irish have been on their own to figure it all out.

Nobody around Notre Dame is complaining, though.

Notre Dame chose this life. It wants to be independent. There's freedom in this with flexibility that the Irish enjoy. But with the Independent label comes a unique set of challenges the Irish must navigate to set themselves up for success.

Most of the power players in the world of college football are conference-affiliated. This means that the Irish are outnumbered in nearly every negotiation and often have a target on their back from those that come from a place of conference allegiance.

There's power in numbers and Notre Dame is 1-of-1.

But, of course, being that one gives it an outsized seat at the table. On the field this weekend ...

Nobody's pulling for Army harder this weekend than Tennessee fans. Notre Dame loss opens the door to the CFP for the Vols.

— SEC Unfiltered (@SECUnfiltered) November 20, 2024

Most of the country will be rooting against Notre Dame the next two weeks

Outside of the loyal and large Notre Dame fanbase, almost everyone else around the country will be tuning into the Notre Dame vs Army and USC games to root against the Irish.

Why? A Notre Dame loss almost assuredly knocks the Irish out of playoff contention freeing up a spot for another conference-affiliated team to move in.

For the rest of this season, it's going to be Notre Dame vs everybody. Exactly how everyone connected to Notre Dame wants it to be. The Irish like forging their own path, not needing anyone or anything else to fall back on or support it.

These next two weeks are Notre Dame's next chance to prove to the country that it is indeed a strong team this year and is deserving of a CFP hosting seed. Will the Irish disappoint the haters and go 2-0 and seal the deal?

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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