Notre Dame Football: 3 reasons Irish could make playoff in 2021

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 27: Marist Liufau #35 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rushes against Michael Carter #8 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game at Kenan Stadium on November 27, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

1. Favorable schedule

What’s one thing you need as a playoff contender to make sure you don’t have any slip-ups or multiple losses in a row? That’s right, it’s a favorable schedule.

The Irish are no longer temporary members of the ACC so they won’t have to play Clemson or Miami this season but they will face North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech. Three of those games come at home and every single one of them is winnable. Actually, it’d be a surprise if the Irish didn’t win each one.

That should be a 6-0 record right there.

If you’re looking for the toughest games, Cincinnati, USC, Wisconsin, and Stanford all reside on the schedule and 75 percent of those will be played at home or at a neutral site. Notre Dame should win the home games (Cincinnati, USC) and the neutral site game (Wisconsin) while playing at Stanford could be tough — though it should be a win as well.

Toledo, Purdue, and Navy round out the schedule. All three should be wins.

Even if the Irish have a couple of slip-ups, they should win 10 games and be in that playoff conversation.

Next. Way-too-early preseason Top 25 projections for 2021. dark

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