Will Notre Dame win its next seven games to set up Clemson showdown?
Notre Dame is 0-1 for the first time since 2016. The Fighting Irish have the tough task of winning 10 of their next 12 games, including a bowl game, to extend their streak of double-digit win seasons to six.
Victories in each of the next seven games would go a long way in that effort.
BlueandGold.com writers Tyler Horka and Todd Burlage debate whether that will happen in this week’s edition of Point/Counterpoint, which originally appeared in a magazine issue of Blue & Gold Illustrated. Subscribe to the magazine or order single issues here.
Tyler Horka: Yes, time for a Notre Dame winning streak
The season opener of all season openers is over. Ohio State is in the rearview. Now Notre Dame can fantasize about much greener pastures ahead. The Irish will win their next seven games to set up quite a showdown against Clemson Nov. 5.
Marshall and California shouldn’t pose serious threats, even though the timing of the schedule and the caliber of those opponents is eerily similar to what Notre Dame was up against last year against Toledo and Purdue. Neither of those games was particularly easy, but they were both wins.
North Carolina allowed 24 points to Florida A&M, an HBCU, in its season opener. The Tar Heels are going to put up some points, but they are not going to stop the Irish enough times to win. Again, much like last year.
BYU is the pivotal opponent in this seven-game stretch for Notre Dame. The Cougars are well coached and experienced. Anything can happen in a neutral-site game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. If Notre Dame squeaks out with a victory, head coach Marcus Freeman’s team will easily take care of Stanford, UNLV and Syracuse to go into the Clemson game with incredibly high stakes — just like the last time the Tigers came to South Bend as the No. 1 team in the country two years ago.
Syracuse could also be a quintessential “trap” game, but by then Notre Dame will have reeled off enough wins in a row to know how to take care of business in the JMA Dome. The real problem-posers dressed in orange are on the schedule the following week.
More Notre Dame football
• Friday 5: Marcus Freeman makes clear his say in Notre Dame’s offensive game plan for Ohio State
• Hey Horka! Tyler Buchner, the Notre Dame offense and Marshall predictions
No, one of two tough opponents will beat the Irish
The unenviable anointment of Freeman as the new Irish head coach was cruelly marked with a Fiesta Bowl matchup against No. 9 Oklahoma State and a date with No. 2 Ohio State in the 2022 season opener.
Honeymoon hopes were that Freeman could win both games. Common sense suggested otherwise.
So here we are — only two games into the Freeman era — and the rookie skipper faces a stretch of seven games that will no longer provide a forgiveness factor.
Sandwiched in between Ohio State last weekend and a home game against Clemson Nov. 5, Notre Dame plays Marshall, California, at North Carolina, BYU in Las Vegas, Stanford, UNLV and at Syracuse.
Notre Dame has won 30 of its last 31 home games and 42 straight against the unranked, and will be prohibitive favorites when Marshall, California, Stanford and UNLV come to town. Those four teams combined to go 17-32 last season.
Syracuse hasn’t been to a bowl since 2016, and shouldn’t present many problems, even on the road.
But mixed into this seven-pack are games at North Carolina (Sept. 24) and vs. BYU in Las Vegas (Oct. 8). UNC received votes in the preseason top 25 and went 11-2 at home the last two seasons under Hall of Fame head coach Mack Brown. BYU was ranked No. 25 in the preseason and is 21-4 since 2020.
We all wish Freeman and the Irish well. But beating these two tough foes away from Notre Dame Stadium won’t happen.
