College Football Playoff Preview: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2YR7XXA BRONX, NY - NOVEMBER 23: Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) runs the ball during a game between Army Black Knights and Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 23, 2024 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York.(Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

By Dalton Wasserman
Posted Dec 12, 2024 1:44 pm EST

As we gear up for the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff, we’ll provide an in-depth breakdown of each contender, recapping their journey to this point and highlighting what makes them tick.

From their biggest strengths and glaring weaknesses to the path they’ll need to navigate to claim a national championship, we’ll give you everything you need to know to get ready for this new format.

For more information about these programs and their players, subscribe to PFF+ and dive into the College Football Premium Stats database!

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Record: 11-1

First Playoff Opponent: Indiana

Season Summary

Notre Dame’s season got off to an intriguing start, beginning with a win at Kyle Field over Texas A&M, followed by a surprising loss to Northern Illinois. However, since that early stumble, the Fighting Irish have been one of college football’s most dominant teams, securing wins over Louisville, Georgia Tech, Navy and Army. While they cruised through a relatively easy schedule, there’s little doubt they deserve their spot in this year’s playoff.

NCAA Scores & Schedule

PFF predictions and real time spread, moneyline and over/under lines for each NCAA game.

Available with
NCAA Power Rankings

Power Rankings are PFF’s NCAA power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. These power rankings are adjusted based on coach, quarterback and the market each season.

Available with
College Player Grades

PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts.

Available with
NCAA Premium Stats

Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data.

Available with