With the College Football season just two weeks away, expectations are sky-high for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to replicate last year’s playoff push. It’s a justified mindset for both fans and pundits, especially considering the wealth of returning talent — most notably, preseason First-Team All-Americans Jeremiyah Love and Leonard Moore.
That said, if the Golden Domers are to reach the College Football Playoff again, they’ll likely need to accomplish something no Notre Dame team has done in 20 years: win five true road games (away contests played at the opponent’s home stadium, not a neutral site venue) in a single season.
The last time that happened was in 2005, when Charlie Weis patrolled the sidelines and Brady Quinn was slinging passes to Jeff Samardzija, Maurice Stovall, and Rhema McKnight. That BCS-qualifying squad knocked off some notable opponents on their home turf including No. 23 Pittsburgh, No. 3 Michigan, Washington, No. 22 Purdue, and Stanford.
Ironically, what kept the Irish from a national title shot that year were two heartbreaking home losses: an overtime defeat to Michigan State and the infamous, illegal “Bush Push” against USC.
Fast forward to the present, and Notre Dame’s 2025 road slate features No. 10 Miami (FL), Arkansas, Boston College, Pittsburgh, and Stanford. That’s four rivalry games plus an SEC matchup that could be dubbed “The Lou Holtz Bowl,” given the legendary coach’s successful tenures at both programs.
Needless to say, head coach Marcus Freeman will need his team to embrace the road-warrior mentality this fall. If they do, then the Golden Domers could once again shake down the thunder on their way to another CFP berth — and maybe even a first-round bye as a top-four seed as Conference Champions are no longer guaranteed one of the top 4 seeds.
More Notre Dame Fighting Irish News: