Notre Dame's Growth In 2 Key Areas Displayed In Syracuse Dismantling

Notre Dame looks like a dangerous College Football Playoff (CFP) team.

There are some, even in the Notre Dame fan base, that aren't overly impressed with the Irish's 70-7 dominating victory over Syracuse in South Bend on Saturday. "It was just a 3-7 team", these folks may say. I think this way of thinking is wrong.

For the better part of the last thirty years, I've seen Notre Dame teams square off against objectively bad teams and play down to their level. Play sloppy football. Appear sluggish or disinterested. Some of these games have been lost, but the majority of them become "ugly" wins that get catalogued and rarely referenced. Not this team. This team looks to punish lesser opponents and never let up.

Marcus Freeman is building something new in South Bend. This program has an edge to it now. And it has athletes. Lots of athletes. With more on the way. These are the attributes that make a 70-7 win possible.

Jeremiyah Love continues his quest for the Heisman with a masterclass against Syracuse 🏆 pic.twitter.com/snxX4aW5Jq
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 23, 2025

Marcus Freeman has instilled a new attitude in Notre Dame Football

Marcus Freeman has instilled a new mentality around Notre Dame Football. This program recruits and develops players with an edge to them. A killer instinct. The ability to "crank it up a notch" when need be. This is the attitude and vibe of elite college football programs. Notre Dame now has this edge to it. And with each year that passes, that DNA permeates deeper and deeper throughout the locker room and amongst the coaching staff.

The best thing about this dynamic is that Notre Dame is finding players with this "killer" mindset on the field, but off of it are nothing short of Irish gentlemen. It's the perfect blend for success in South Bend. Notre Dame is a "big boy" program, whether Irish haters are willing to admit it or not.

This kind of mentality is what allows a team to make enough plays to be winning 35-0 after just one quarter of play. There's been a culture shift for Notre Dame, and it's much overdue.

Notre Dame's roster has improved greatly

Mentality is always a key part of team success, but let's be honest here. Talent matters. Marcus Freeman and his staff have recruited and developed much better athletes than previous regimes, and many more of them as well. As Notre Dame proved last season, this team can hang with any roster in the country. Notre Dame is at that level.

This influx of talent is the tide that rises all ships. Notre Dame's starting lineup is really good, and against a bad team, even the second and third string can have success. This level of talent makes these kinds of wins possible.

This Notre Dame program is clearly on the rise and belongs in the elite category; all that's left to do is win a national title.