I Was Wrong About Notre Dame vs. Syracuse — Here’s What I Missed

Notre Dame obliterated Syracuse in a showcase to the College Football Playoff committee

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman takes the field with his players before a NCAA football game against Syracuse at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame destroyed Syracuse in a senior day blowout.

Notre Dame fans could get used to this. A must-win game in which the Irish seize control early and dominate throughout. This was a special senior day sendoff. the weather was perfect, the crowd was fired up, and the team played great to a final count of 70-7.

How dominant were the Irish? Notre Dame had a 21-0 lead before the offense took the field and a 35-0 lead after just one quarter of play. CJ Carr wasn't asked to do much in this game, nor did he need to. As for Jeremiyah Love, he had a very efficient afternoon, running for 171 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries.

This Notre Dame team has done what good teams do. Get progressively better over the course of the year. That's a testament to everyone involved in this program.

Love thee ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/8GHNg9Redv

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 23, 2025

What will the CFP committee think of this Notre Dame win?

This is where I may have been wrong in how I was analyzing this game heading into it. I thought that since Notre Dame was facing a three-win team, it'd be hard to impress the committee, even in a blowout win scenario. I may be wrong about this.

This win may have been so dominant that the committee values it more than I thought it would. Miami, the team "chasing" Notre Dame from behind in the CFP rankings, also played a 3-win team, and didn't dominate them. Not to mention the Hurricanes' recent 38-10 win over the Orange, which pales in comparison to what the Irish just did to the Cuse. This win very well may move the needle.

The CFP committee already stated that, despite the head-to-head loss to Miami and matching records, Notre Dame was a better team entering Saturday's games. Regardless of what size that gap was, it didn't shrink; it grew.

Notre Dame must deliver one more beatdown over Stanford

While the CFP committee has seemed to be very "pro Notre Dame", thus far, it cannot be fully trusted to maintain philosophical consistency. Notre Dame has no control over this. All the Irish can do now is head to Palo Alto and deliver another beatdown to another bad football team to leave no doubt to the committee and world that Notre Dame is a playoff team.

Marcus Freeman has a program that has gotten better over the course of the season, is full of confidence, and is trending up. That's a dangerous team to face in the postseason.