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Newsstand: How Notre Dame fares in latest Ari Wasserman College Football Playoff projection

IMG_7504by: Jack Soble06/24/25jacksoble56
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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. (Photo by Mike Miller/BGI)

On3 national college football writer Ari Wasserman published his latest 2025 12-team College Football Playoff projection — with straight seeding — on Monday. In his projection, Notre Dame earned the No. 6 seed and won its first game but lost in the quarterfinals.

Wasserman has the Irish hosting and defeating No. 11 BYU — his projected Big 12 champion — in Round 1.

“The Big 12 champion gets an automatic spot in the CFP, but the new rules don’t guarantee a bye, so the Cougars will likely find themselves in the back half of the final top 12,” Wasserman wrote. “It faces a Notre Dame team that has one of the best offensive lines in the country, and though BYU plays a hard-fought game, the Irish advance to the next round.”

Wasserman projected the Irish to lose in quarterfinals to No. 3 Clemson, finishing two rounds shorter of where they finished last season. He, however, did give head coach Marcus Freeman‘s program a positive outlook long-term.

“The Tigers, backed by head coach Dabo Swinney, fall back on some of the postseason experience and handle Notre Dame in the second round,” Wasserman wrote. “Notre Dame’s program is building in the right direction and the Irish, especially after a hot month on the recruiting trail, know they’ll be back in this position for many years to come.”

Notre Dame Tweets of the day

Wisconsin graduate transfer wide receiver Will Pauling squatted 495 pounds during summer workouts.

The Irish secured a dynamic pass-catching tight end in Preston Fryzel on Monday, as the recruiting momentum continues to roll.

Can’t beat summer in South Bend.

Quote of the day

“He’s a big wide receiver who will flourish as a slot tight end. He’ll be a motion, H-back type who will shift and motion all over the place. Mike Denbrock loves to motion his tight ends, and you can definitely see this guy being a hash-to-hash receiver who will cause matchup problems with nickels and smaller safeties. And he’s definitely a guy you can flex out, which Notre Dame does often with its tight ends.

“He has great ball skills; his one-handed catches are awesome. Fryzel is a great athlete with unbelievable hands. You can do anything you want with him on offense. He has great balance and hand-eye coordination.”

— Blue & Gold analyst Tim Hyde on new Notre Dame tight end commit Preston Fryzel

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