Why Notre Dame’s first game of 2024 is “make or break”

We are now under ten days away from the start of the college football season and there is much to be answered in the coming weeks.

With many big games on the Week 1 horizon, one in particular caught my eye. The implications are massive, the stakes are set extremely high, and this game might even decide the fate of Notre Dame’s season. 

The Fighting Irish are set to open their season in College Station, where they will face Texas A&M. Since the conclusion of last season, this date has been circled on Notre Dame’s calendar and has caught the attention of many. 

It is eye-popping, to say the least. Two of the most historic college football programs are meeting at the dusk of the 2024 season.

There is no warm-up and no amount of preparation that can indicate the possible outcome of this game. Frankly, two good teams will begin their seasons in an absolute bloodbath of a competition. 

Just this past week, the AP Poll was released with not many changes to the Coaches Poll.

Both Notre Dame and Texas A&M remained the same in each poll as the Irish are ranked 7th and the Aggies are ranked 20th. Any top-25 matchup to begin the season will capture vast anticipation, but this one, in particular, means more. 

Notre Dame has consistently been a powerhouse in college football, dating back to its roots. The Irish are a team of prestige, whether you like it or hate it — Notre Dame is one of the most notable programs. But why is this game in particular being hyped up so much?

As many come to believe this may be College Gameday’s first stop of the season, the prime-time matchup is certainly a headliner. 

As mentioned we can check the box for a top-25 matchup. Additionally, this game is slated at 7:30 p.m. ET, on August 31.

Moreover, Notre Dame must win this game to gain credibility in the newly expanded College Football Playoff. Sure, Texas A&M is a fascinating story, but for the Irish, the season lies on this tightrope. 

In recent history, Notre Dame has handled their schedules well. The team has consistently won around 9 games which seems to be the baseline for many solid teams.

Just two years ago, when Brian Kelly departed South Bend for the bright SEC lights of LSU, the Irish hired Marcus Freeman as the new head coach. Many fans gave Freeman a pass, despite massively disappointing them with what was supposed to be an extremely talented roster.

Freeman snapped Notre Dame’s 42-game home winning streak with the program's first-ever loss to Marshall. 

At Freeman’s lowest point, he was able to close the season on a successful note following a 9-4 record.

That offseason was just as crucial, and Freeman hit the transfer portal hard. After acquiring Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman, Notre Dame was set for a bounce-back season. The Irish opened as the 13th-best team in the nation and started on a great note in Ireland with a 42-3 win over Navy.

However, after a heartbreaking 17-14 loss to Ohio State, Freeman’s ship began to collapse. 

Again, Notre Dame closed its season on a strong victory over Oregon State with a 50-8 beatdown, securing a 10-3 record. This offseason Notre Dame has once again hit the transfer portal in acquiring Duke’s Riley Leonard at quarterback as well as many skill position weapons. 

The similarities are vast, although Freeman’s record slightly improved the anticaption has not. Many continue to wonder why the Irish are ranked so high and inevitably disappoint year after year. Irish fans are sick of the mid-season crisis that puts an undoable dent in Playoff hopes.

How Notre Dame gets over the hump this year comes in direct correlation to the first game of the 2024 season. 

Because the Irish are Independent, their schedule changes yearly. There is no one conference that Notre Dame specifically faces, but rather a bunch of different teams.

For that reason, some look at the Irish as a “cop-out” team to the rest of the powerhouse programs who grind wins out in the thick of their conferences. 

Say what you want about the schedule, but a win is a win. Notre Dame will not be denied a Playoff appearance if they can successfully run the table. The probability of that is low if we take into account the recent history of Notre Dame.

We typically see a few ranked opponents with one, maybe two, legit top-10 teams. Last year, the Irish had the luxury of facing the Ohio State Buckeyes at home, which they did not capitalize on.

They also played ACC opponents, Louisville, Duke, and Clemson on the road; and got USC with Caleb Williams at home. 

It was a favorable, yet challenging schedule for the Irish, and maybe with one-loss Notre Dame would have found themselves knocking at the door of a CFP appearance. Luckily, we did not get that drama. 

This season is different. Notre Dame’s notable games consist of road opponents including Texas A&M, Purdue, and USC. The Irish have home games against Northern Illinois, Miami (OH), Louisville, Stanford, Florida State, and Virginia.

This comes along with three neutral site games against Army, Navy, and Georgia Tech.

By all means, this schedule is extremely favorable if they can take care of business against A&M, FSU, and USC. I do not want to look past teams like Louisville and Georgia Tech, but Notre Dame’s level of talent is immense in comparison to these teams.

Given that this is a step down from the 2023 opponents, Notre Dame’s chances to reach the CFP should be much higher. Notre Dame has the 2nd best odds to reach the Playoff behind Penn State, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

This is largely due to the level of competition that Notre Dame has to face. In essence, Notre Dame has three legit road games including their opener in College Station.

This game is likely the one that is easiest to fall into a ditch and will give us a good indication of where exactly Notre Dame is. 

With much excitement surrounding new head coach Mike Elko and a revamped Texas A&M team, there is no telling what can happen or which direction this game can go. It is considered by some to be Notre Dame’s biggest and most meaningful game.

Additionally, I do not see Notre Dame making the playoffs with any record worse than 11-1. 

If there is one thing certain, the Irish must set the tone with a win at the heart of “12th man.” The true depiction of Notre Dame will be set in stone. All college football fanatics will get a firsthand witness to the legitimacy of the Irish in just one game.

Now the question remains to be answered on the field, does Notre Dame have what it takes? 

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