'You are far from cooked': Why national analysts believe in Notre Dame despite 0-2 start

The sky is falling in Notre Dame land, and understandably so. The Irish are 0-2 for just the fifth time since Lou Holtz‘ first season in 1986, and the once-vaunted defense looks like Swiss cheese.

However, the national media is not writing off the Irish by any stretch.

“If you’re a Notre Dame fan who feels like your team is cooked, you are far from cooked,” On3’s Ari Wasserman said.

Here’s what Wasserman and five other national analysts said about Notre Dame this week, and why they don’t think the Irish are done yet.

On3’s Ari Wasserman

“Yeah, Notre Dame had a rough outing for sure, but Notre Dame played a team that could potentially be in the playoff. So before we’re like, ‘Is Chris Ash gonna get fired,’ let’s just fast-forward six weeks down the road when Notre Dame is 6-2 and No. 9 in the polls. That’s what’s coming, and if A&M is .500 at that point, then you’ll be like, ‘Oh my God,’ but A&M might be No. 4 in the polls in six weeks.

“I don’t know if I’m gonna go out on a limb in the same way I did last year, but here’s how the season is gonna play out to me. Notre Dame is probably gonna be 10-2, and I think Miami and A&M are also gonna be in the playoff mix. And I think it’s conceivable that all the discourse about Notre Dame losing their only two games against quality opponents is gonna turn into ‘Notre Dame played two of the top-five teams in America down to the wire.’ And that’s gonna get them in.”

On3’s Andy Staples

“I think USC is going to wind up being good this year. So if you can beat USC — which is not going to be an easy thing for Notre Dame to do — but if they can beat them, I think that is going to probably carry it, along with the fact that they were in the mix with two teams that we think are going to be playoff contenders, if not playoff participants. So I think they’re in good shape.

“[Marcus Freeman] has that ‘adult in the room’ vibe that kind of reassures you. … To sum up: Don’t freak out; your defense is probably not that bad. Be happy; your offense is probably good. The rest of your schedule is not so bad that winning 10 in a row won’t get you in the playoff.”

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit

“I personally think because they competed in these games — they took Miami down to the wire and competed and lost late; 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.”

FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt

“Can I say that I’m both still impressed and concerned all at the same time? Listen, this has got to be the best 0-2 team that we’ve seen in a long time. These two losses are just devastating. One of them on the road at a very good Miami team. And then this one against Texas A&M, which, again, looks like a team that can really cause some trouble in the top end of the SEC. So, I don’t think Notre Dame is a bad team. In fact, and I know this sounds crazy, and I don’t normally compliment the AP Poll, but I’m glad Notre Dame stayed in the AP Poll.”

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy

“The luck of the Irish, right? Or, the bad luck of the Irish. Been a lot of people panicking about the regression defensively. Last year, this was the bell cow. And they were dismantled by an Aggie team that nearly went for 500 yards. The secondary especially not being able to get guys on the ground when they make plays. Allowing Mario Craver to torch them through the air. Marcel Reed completed less than 50 percent of his passes, but he averaged over 21 yards per completion. So they’re getting big plays, most of which on catch and runs.

“A lot of people are saying, ‘There’s no pass rush.’ I disagree. I thought there were several times they were close but they just couldn’t finish. The football God, the football voodoo, whatever you want to chalk it up to, last year it always sort of felt like the ball bounced Notre Dame’s way. So far, early in the year, it feels like it’s kind of the exact opposite.”

Barstool Sports’ Dan ‘Big Cat’ Katz

“They were 1-1 last year but they lost as a 28-point favorite to Northern Illinois, and you had legitimate questions about Marcus Freeman as a coach, you had legitimate questions about the program overall, losing a game like that to Northern Illinois at home. This year, they lost a road game by three and a road game against a much better Texas A&M team by one point. Those are two teams that could be in the college football playoff.

“Obviously, they don’t have a margin for error, which is exactly where they were last year; they couldn’t lose another game after losing to NIU. But I actually think that this year, I would feel a little bit better about [Notre Dame]. The NIU loss was that cataclysmic in the moment that I think they’re in a better spot today.”

Blue & Gold’s Tyler Horka contributed to this report.