Notre Dame Aims for College Football Playoff After Victory Over Stanford
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is hoping for a spot in the College Football Playoff after a decisive 49-20 victory against the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday. The team, coached by Marcus Freeman, entered the game ranked No. 9 in the College Football Playoff rankings. There has been much discussion about whether they should be ranked higher than the No. 12 Miami Hurricanes.
After the game, Coach Freeman emphasized his team’s progress throughout the season. He believes that their improvement and performance make them worthy of consideration for the playoff.
“We have improved as much as anybody in the country, [we’ve] been playing as well as anybody in the country, and we have, in my opinion, the best player in the country,” Freeman said. “That’s what you want. You want the best teams in the country now. Who’s the best teams for the playoffs right now? I truly believe we’re one.”
Notre Dame faces a unique challenge as an independent team, meaning they don’t participate in a conference championship game. Over the holiday weekend, only one team ranked ahead of them, No. 3 Texas A&M, lost. It remains to be seen whether the win against Stanford will be enough to boost Notre Dame’s ranking.
With this win, the Fighting Irish have a season record of 9-2.
A standout player for Notre Dame, Jeremiyah Love, had a memorable game. He rushed for 66 yards and scored his 21st touchdown of the season. This accomplishment breaks Jerome Bettis’ record for overall touchdowns and ties Audrice Estime’s record of 18 rushing touchdowns in a single season. Love briefly left the game due to an injury scare. He later reported that it was just a bruise.
The final College Football Playoff rankings are scheduled to be released next week, determining which teams will compete for the national championship.
