Notre Dame Football: College GameDay provides Irish platform for Playoff case

Notre Dame football has their eyes on a trip to the College Football Playoff making their appearance on College GameDay extremely important.

Notre Dame is well-known for their tenuous schedules. The Irish don’t sluff off in that department and frequently pit themselves against the nation’s best teams. The end result is several nationally televised contests with the biggest brands in college football.

2018 will be no different. Notre Dame kicks off their season against Michigan in South Bend and will host Stanford and Florida State later on in the year. They also travel to USC to cap off their season. Those are four marquee games, the first of which is already slated for additional media attention.

The popular ESPN show College GameDay announced their first stop of the season will be in South Bend for the Wolverines’ tussle with the Irish in Week 1.

This game, and the added exposure, could create a lasting memory in the minds of the College Football Playoff committee. Defeating a top team like Michigan will give them an instant leg up on their competition and set the stage for future Irish games down the road.

Whether or note College GameDay shows up to South Bend again, the impacts of their Sep. 1 trip will be sizable, provided the Irish win. ESPN FPI gives Notre Dame a 68 percent chance of emerging victorious. That’s not an overwhelming endorsement, but it still suggests the Irish will be favorites in that game.

Notre Dame is no stranger to the national spotlight or College GameDay. The last time the Irish were featured came as recently as last season, on the road against Miami. The results weren’t pretty. 2018 is a brand new year and a new opportunity. For Brian Kelly’s sake, Notre Dame better take the best of it.