Irish Breakdown

Potential College Football Playoff Showdown? Notre Dame vs. SMU Flashback

Notre Dame could play SMU in the First Round of the College Football Playoff, a team they haven't faced since 1989

Nick Shepkowski

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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College football's regular season has concluded but plenty remains to be learned from conference championship weekend before the College Football Playoff reveals the bracket for the inagural 12-team tournament on Sunday.

Notre Dame is sitting at home this weekend with an 11-1 regular season record and almost certainly a First Round home game in its pocket. Who Notre Dame plays in that First Round remains to be seen, though.

More than a handful of teams remain possibilities as to who will come to South Bend on Dec. 20/21. One of those potential teams is 11-1 SMU who is enjoying big-time success in its first year of ACC play.

If the Mustangs win Saturday's ACC Championship game against Clemson then they'll be a top-four seed, but if Clemson pulls off the minor upset, SMU would be in-play to be Notre Dame's First Round visitor as likely the Playoff's 11 or 12 seed.

If SMU makes the trip to South Bend, it would be its first since 1989. If you're familiar with college football history then you're aware that the Notre Dame and SMU football programs were at complete opposite ends of the spectrum back then.

The X account College Football Classics recently dug up an old CNN piece highlighting SMU's preparation to travel to Notre Dame for that 1989 game. The Irish were reigning national champions and unbeaten while SMU was feeling the impact of the NCAA's "Death Penalty" and were almost certainly the worst team in major college football.

Check out the piece below.

Notre Dame won the contest 59-6, beating an SMU team that as in its first year back on the playing field after being handed the famed Death Penalty. In that game Ricky Watters set a Notre Dame record for longest punt return when he took back a kick 97 yards for a touchdown.

Something tells me if the two meet in a few weeks that it will be slightly more competitive.

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

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