Joel Klatt Compares Notre Dame To 2023 CFP Darling Washington

Will Notre Dame make a College Football Playoff dash similar to Washington's 2023 run?

Notre Dame wide receiver Kris Mitchell runs the ball up the field during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

Notre Dame: The outlier team that just plays consistently strong football

Washington was certainly well-deserving of making the College Football Playoff in 2023 as it made a run at Michigan for the CFP title. That being said it wasn't the most consistent team going.

It didn't feature the type of rosters Ohio State and Georgia boast with five-star talent in every direction.

But it won anyway and kept winning with that deep CFP run powered by an exciting offense. The defense wasn't always great, but it played tough and kept the team within striking distance in each game.

Can this be Notre Dame's story in 2024?

"Watch out for Notre Dame... They feel a lot like Washington from last year." 👀@JoelKlatt shares his expectations for the Fighting Irish ahead of the season ⬇️☘️ pic.twitter.com/d5yP3vi2Kb

— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) August 9, 2024

The Schedule is Beneficial, but Notre Dame's Path is Much Harder Than Washington's Was

In his monologue, Joel Klatt hammers home a point about how favorable Notre Dame's schedule is, featuring only our true road games, one to start the year (Texas A&M), one to end the year (USC), and Georgia Tech and Purdue in the middle.

Where Notre Dame's path will diverge from Washington's has to do with the CFP field. Rather than needing to win two games to win the championship like the Huskies were asked to do - and came up just short - the Irish will have to win four in a row.

It's a tough ask for a program that hasn't won a major bowl game in three decades to win four in about six weeks.

The 2024 Notre Dame defense will be better than 2023 Washington's, and the 2023 Husky offense was stronger than the 2024 Irish O will be, but ...

It would be more fun if Notre Dame was the new Michigan.

- Notre Dame Could Be the New Michigan (Without the Jim Harbaugh Energy)

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