Notre Dame's Path To 10-2 Is Clear, But Big Questions Remain

Notre Dame's Victory over Arkansas brings back hope in the Irish

Given Notre Dame's frustrating 0-2 start, the Arkansas game became a flash point in the Irish schedule that would help determine what's possible for the remainder of the season.

If Notre Dame had lost to Arkansas, a death spiral to at least a four or five-loss season seemed likely. With a win over the Razorbacks, some hope could be restored that the Irish could get back on track and have a decent year.

As it turned out, Notre Dame did more than just beat Arkansas; the Irish destroyed and embarrassed the Razorbacks to the point where the opposing head coach, Sam Pittman, was fired not even a full day later. With this win, there is now some revived hope in Notre Dame and what this year could be.

Sep 27, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) after the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Notre Dame won 56-13. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The path to 10-2 for Notre Dame becomes clear

With a win against Arkansas in the bag, the rest of Notre Dame's schedule crystallizes and breaks down into two very obvious sections of games. Notre Dame plays its next three games in South Bend against three very different programs that present different challenges in Boise State, NC State, and, of course, USC.

If, and it's a big if, Notre Dame can manage to win these games and head into its second off-week with just the two losses it already has on the ledger, 10-2 becomes a real possibility, given how light the back half of the Irish schedule is.

After the break, Notre Dame travels to Boston College, hosts Navy, travels to Pittsburgh, returns home to host Syracuse, and then heads to sleepy Palo Alto to end the year against Stanford. Every one of these games is eminently winnable should Notre Dame play even just decent football.

It’s a LOVE story 🫶#GoIrish☘️ | @JeremiyahLove pic.twitter.com/sTUHFUzh2X
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 29, 2025

Could Notre Dame make the CFP at 10-2?

After Notre Dame's win over Arkansas, immediate chatter started regarding the odds of the Irish making the CFP with a 10-2 record. Notre Dame will have lost to two top ten, currently undefeated teams by a total of just four points, but will have beaten no other ranked team, given USC's road loss to Illinois, which knocked them out of the top 25.

I realize that the CFP discussion is a popular one amongst Irish fans, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Due to the early losses, Notre Dame no longer controls its own destiny and faces a self-imposed uphill battle. Therefore, the plan for the Irish for the rest of the way is simple.

All the Irish can do is win one game per week and let chaos ensue above them in the rankings while flying under the radar and up the polls, just like in 2024. The pressure is on, and for the second year in a row, Notre Dame has no CFP breathing room and needs a double-digit game win streak to even have a chance.

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