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Notre Dame

Newsstand: Kirk Herbstreit backs Notre Dame football despite 0-2 start

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Notre Dame is the first 0-2 team to be ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll since 1988, as the Fighting Irish lost to the No. 4 and No. 10 teams in America by a combined four points.

Some argue Notre Dame should be outside the top 25, while others still rank the Irish inside the top 20.

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit isn’t an AP voter, but his opinion certainly holds weight nationally. On Monday morning, he tweeted out a video discussing the Fighting Irish.

“I personally think — because they competed in these games — they took Miami down to the wire and competed and lost late,” he said. “Obviously this game with A&M — competed down to the wire.

“When the dust settles, we’re going to see A&M is a very good football team. I don’t think this season’s over. I don’t think they’re done even if they finish 10-2. There’s so much football left to be played. I’m actually impressed with Notre Dame.”

CBS analyst Adam Breneman echoed Herbstreit’s sentiment, adding that he doesn’t think the 0-2 start ends the Irish’s playoff chances.

“If this team who lost to Miami and Texas A&M runs the table and wins 10 in a row to end the year, it’s hard to keep a 10-2 Notre Dame team out of the playoffs,” Breneman said on CBS Sports HQ.

“Anything can happen though. We saw last year — we were talking about three-loss teams [potentially] making the playoffs. Notre Dame has been in this position.

“Marcus Freeman knows how to rally his guys, rally the troops, get them together. They played two really good teams to start the season. I think Miami and Texas A&M may be two of the best teams in the country that we’re going to see will be in the College Football Playoff.

“So there’s still a lot of time left. And 10 in a row for Notre Dame — the committee is going to like that résumé.

“It’s gonna come down to: how does Miami’s and Texas A&M’s season go the rest of the year? If they are top 5, top 10 teams in the country, those two losses look a lot different than if they don’t make the playoff.

“I’ll just remind everybody: they lost to Northern Illinois last year and everyone said Notre Dame had no shot to make the playoff — losing to a Group of 5 team in the fashion that they did.

“A lot can happen over the next 11–12 weeks of college football. I still believe that 10–2 Notre Dame team has a serious case to make the College Football Playoff.”

Notre Dame tweets of the day

Quote of the day

“I’m worried about preparing this team for Saturday. I’m worried about taking some of those valuable lessons that we’ve learned from the first two weeks to help us improve as we get ready for this upcoming game. Really, that’s my focus — is what is right in front of us.” 

— Marcus Freeman on the Irish being the first ranked team at 0-2 since 1988, because it reflects positively on the team

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