Sam Acho 'not worried' about Notre Dame after 0-2 start, still likes them for College Football Playoff

ESPN’s Sam Acho is not worried about Notre Dame despite the 0-2 start to the season. The Fighting Irish are actually still ranked No. 24 in the latest AP Poll without winning a game to this point.

Based on the schedule, it’s conceivable to see Notre Dame win 10 in a row and get into the College Football Playoff. That seems to be the only way for the Fighting Irish to get in though.

A 9-3 campaign likely won’t get them into the bracket, based on history and last year’s first iteration of the 12-team bracket. Last year, there were numerous 10-2 and 9-3 teams left out.

“I don’t see them in trouble,” Acho told On3. “I understand they’re 0-2 right now, and they’ve been close losses, but I could see them getting to the College Football Playoff again. The reason why is that last year, week two after a win versus Texas A&M, they lost to Northern Illinois University. At that point, it was like sound the alarm … Fast forward. They not only go to the College Football Playoff right, but (get to) a national championship. 

“So this team knows how to be resilient. They know how to fight. So I’m not concerned at all about Notre Dame. Their schedule does get a little bit easier as the season goes along. They played two tough opponents, so I’m not worried at all. I think they could definitely make and likely will make the College Football Playoff.”

Marcus Freeman was asked just that, how does Notre Dame deal with that type of pressure? It’s going to take a day-by-day, game-by-game focus for the rest of this fall from now through November.

“What’s the biggest concern is, how do we make sure that we’re focused on getting this first one? And, that’s the only thing we control. We got one game that’s guaranteed right in front of us, and that’s Purdue,” Freeman said. “But, we got one day that we have and that’s right now. So, how do we maximize this day, this moment, these meetings, this walkthrough? How do we make the most, because that’s going to get us to where we want to go and really where we want to be for Saturday.”

Notre Dame can’t just be 10-0, though, unless they’re 1-0 after Saturday’s game against the Boilermakers, as they try to avoid a start at 0-3. That’s all that Freeman and the Fighting Irish are focused on, as nothing about their future is for sure as compared to what’s in front of them in the present.