Notre Dame Is Trending Up At The Perfect Time For the CFP

The Irish had a big night against Navy, and now the College Football Playoff bid is within reach

Notre Dame wide receiver Cam Williams slides in the snow after winning a NCAA football game 49-10 against Navy at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame has handled do-or-die scenarios back-to-back seasons

Last season, due to the week two loss to Northern Illinois, the Irish needed to run the table to make the CFP. This was a big ask, but the Irish delivered and ended up not only running the table throughout the rest of the regular season but also winning their way to the national championship. This was an incredible display of resiliency and toughness by the Marcus Freeman-led program.

Unfortunately, this year, the Irish found themselves in an almost identical spot after losing their first two contests of the year to Miami and Texas A&M. Against all odds again, the Irish have won seven games in a row and are trending upward with three games remaining, the toughest being next week against Pitt at their place.

I'm genuinely impressed with the resolve this program has shown under Marcus Freeman's leadership, with its back against the CFP wall in back-to-back seasons.

This being said, the next evolution of the Irish program needs to be an Irish program with CFP wiggle room in the month of November, so that there is some breathing room and the team doesn't need to be perfect for nearly three months to reach the CFP field.

TEAM GLORY ☘️ #GoIrish☘️ | @DonateLifeIN pic.twitter.com/ZKwNtS1uX5

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 9, 2025

What comes next for the Irish?

Notre Dame can now see the 10-2 light at the end of the tunnel. The Irish have three remaining games to win to lock in a playoff spot. First up, Pat Narduzzi and Pitt on the road.

It's no secret that Narduzzi despises the Irish. His team is playing very well, has only lost two games this season, both of which it had double-digit leads late, is coming off an off-week, and will be fully prepared for Notre Dame. This is by far the toughest remaining test for the Irish.

After the massive matchup with Pitt, Notre Dame closes out the year with games against a Steve Angeli-less Syracuse team on senior day and then a 3-7 Stanford team in Palo Alto.

Slowly but surely, Notre Dame has done what it needed to. Win one game at a time while chaos ensues around the country, allowing the Irish to inch their way right back into CFP contention.

Nothing has been easy for Notre Dame the last two seasons due to multiple September stumbles, but the Irish are resilient, and Marcus Freeman deserves credit for holding two seasons together that could've easily fallen apart at the seams.