How Does Notre Dame Make The Playoff?

We are now around 48 hours removed from the depression in Provo for us Irish faithful, and man has it been a rough couple of days. All over the internet I see the usual ND hate from around the country as I white knight as much as I can for our team! But the most alarming is the fanbase turning on its own, giving up on a team built to be resilient. Yes, the motto may have been "leave no doubt," but instead could it be a team that just needs its back against the wall and the whole world counting them out? With 5 games left though, how does Notre Dame get a ticket to the dance?

1. Get Healthy

Look, I know we have depth, it has shown with Luke Talich & Joey O'Brien specifically, but getting back a healthy Brauntae Johnson would be a game changer for this secondary, as we saw in the second half of last season how his emergence completely changed what this defense can be. Also, we have some guys who are just "banged up" in Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, DJ McKinney, and Leonard Moore. The bye week should be the perfect timing to get these guys right. On offense, we needed this time for Jordan Faison & Micah Gilbert to recharge, as they took an insane amount of snaps this past Saturday. It's all about being healthy at the right time, and getting Johnson back for the Miami game could be a true difference maker.

2. Find more confidence in your weapons

Look, Jordan Faison is elite, and Jaden Greathouse is right behind him, but Micah Gilbert cannot be their only complement in the passing game. It's an unfair expectation to put on them and on CJ Carr to be at his best. We have seen flashes from Jerome Bettis Jr., Elijah Burress, and Ian Premer even. It sadly doesn't seem as if Mylan Graham is working out, whether it be our system or just him not being the level we thought he was. If he isn't getting it done, then we need to see what the other guys have, even if only for 10–15 snaps each, as we have seen both Bettis & Burress can stretch the field, something we truly will need to open up the passing game for Carr.

3. SMU to win out

This is the one that is out of our control, but this helps make the whole situation less dire. As of now, the college football nation sees our schedule as two games, which just shows the lack of depth in knowledge the average fan has, as our schedule is improving week by week. Wisconsin winning 8 is not impossible, or is North Carolina. But the magic carpet ride could be centered around SMU; if they are 9-1 coming into our matchup and a lock for the ACC championship, all of a sudden this becomes a potential top-15 matchup, the third on our schedule. We win one or even two of these and we are in a great spot!

Some may want to focus on the running backs, others on the coaching staff, but look, we have the horses for a one-two punch in Nolan James & Jonaz Walton. And as for the coaching staff, I am as confident as ever in Marcus Freeman making the right choices for this team, as he wants it as much if not more than anyone else in the nation. The sky is not falling, Irish nation. We have 5 games in front of us, along with still a chance for a national championship. Now let's settle down and dig in for the Blue & Gold.