Stanford Has Seen Several CFP Contenders, But Notre Dame Is 'Best Team We've Played'

A College Football Playoff berth is likely for Notre Dame, but it's still no guarantee.

The Irish have the ninth-best odds to reach the playoff at 73.1%, per ESPN, and they'll have to defeat Stanford on Saturday to solidify their standing. Then it becomes a debate between resumes, along with hope that outcomes around the country fall in No. 9 Notre Dame's favor.

Some teams the Irish could be arguing against for a playoff bid are BYU, Miami, SMU, Virginia and Pitt each of whom rank within the top 22 in playoff odds, per ESPN. Notre Dame's next opponent, Stanford, has played each of those teams, and interim coach Frank Reich made a notable comment Monday in regard to Stanford's opponents this season.

"When I put the [Notre Dame] tape on yesterday I was like, 'Woof.' This is the real deal. This, to me, looks like the best team we've played all year in the film I've watched," Reich said. "They're really well-coached. You can just see it, it jumps off the tape. They're very well-coached. They're high-level, there's really no weakness."

"Looking at them defensively, really good across the board. So it's gonna be a good challenge for us. It's a great opportunity for us coming off a big win, an emotional win, to be able to lock down against one of the better teams in the country and see how we stack up."

Notre Dame Football — Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive linemen Boubacar Traore, left, and Jason Onye, right, celebrate a stop against the Syracuse Orange at Notre Dame Stadium. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Stanford has an 0-5 record against those playoff contenders, falling 27-3 at BYU, 48-20 at Virginia, 34-10 at SMU, 42-7 at Miami and 35-20 at Pitt. BYU has the best odds among these teams to reach the playoff at 50.1%, followed by Miami (31.5%), Virginia (28.5%), SMU (17.9%) and Pitt (3.1%), per ESPN.

Reich, 63, took over as Stanford's interim head coach in March 2025, replacing Troy Taylor, who went 6-18 in two seasons. Reich has extensive NFL coaching experience, including head coaching stints with the Carolina Panthers in 2023 and with Indianapolis Colts from 2018-22.

Following his NFL playing career from 1985-98, Reich was an assistant coach from 2006-17 with four different NFL organizations. He's certainly a credible judge of high-level talent, and he's seen just that with Notre Dame.

"When I was coaching in the NFL and scouting Notre Dame, having been in Indianapolis for a bunch of years, I was always just so impressed with the offensive line play at Notre Dame," Reich said. "It's just always been great. It just always seems like every year they've got great offensive line play."

"They play at a high level, you can see the technique and fundamentals they play with. It's really good, and I think that's where it all starts for them. And then obviously they've got a playmaking tight end to go along with it that's averaging 16 yards a catch, so very good offense."

CJ Carr Notre Dame Football — Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) warms up before a game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Two players Reich's team needs to prepare especially well for are Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr and running back Jeremiyah Love. In his redshirt freshman season, Carr has thrown for 2,536 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions while ranking fifth among starters in passer rating.

Love has become a Heisman Trophy candidate, as he ranks second in the nation among non-quarterbacks with 22 touchdowns. He needed just eight carries last week against Syracuse to rack up 171 rushing yards and three scores, increasing his yards per carry to 7.1 on the season.

Reich knows Stanford has its hands full with Notre Dame, which is coming off a 70-point game against Syracuse.

"He's really super explosive. Obviously, he's got the 20 touchdowns. ... A great back," Reich said of Love. "Obviously they're scoring 40-plus points a game. He's got more long touchdown runs than anybody you've seen all year. Obviously the quarterback being a first-year starter, playing at a high level, completing 67% of his passes. That's pretty impressive."