Can Notre Dame Find Its Way Into CFB Playoff?

There is no doubt that Notre Dame has been the standout independent over the years. The Irish enter the 2024 season with Marcus Freeman at the helm for year three and a new quarterback once again. The win total is set at 10.5 and if they go over, the Irish could go into the playoff with an expanded field.

Notre Dame will come into the season with Duke transfer Riley Leonard under center. This marks the second consecutive year that the Irish will come into the year with an experienced transfer quarterback leading the way. Is it enough to land Notre Dame in the playoff? Leonard will have returning weapons to work with, led by Jaden Greathouse and transfer Kris Mitchell.

When looking at the schedule, which ranks 41st in strength, there are three swing games for the Irish. These are Texas A&M on opening night, Florida State, and USC. The Irish will also have Louisville and Stanford on the slate. A 10-2 season will likely land Notre Dame in the field of 12.

Freeman has yet to win more than 10 games as head coach. He is beginning to get his full compliment of players on both sides of the ball. This allows him to run his team the way he wants. It will be interesting to see how it translate to success on the field.

UMass enters final season as independent

The Minutemen will not be independent for much longer. Beginning in 2025, UMass will become part of the MAC and this brings many benefits to the program. That is next year and for this year, there are many questions surrounding the team. First, can it not be one of the worst teams in the nation?

UMass came into the FBS in 2012, where it began its first tenure in the MAC. Since then, the team has not surpassed four wins, which it reached twice in 2017-2018. The win total for UMass is 3.5 this season.

It is unknown how good this offense can be without running back Kay’Ron Adams but the team returns plenty of production. Taisun Phommachanh returns as the starting quarterback while Ahmad Haston is a highly-anticipated newcomer. The Minutemen will also return leading receiver Anthony Simpson.

UMass has been near the bottom of the nation in recent years and will enter its final season as an independent looking to make it a good one.

UConn looking to return to form from 2022

Jim Mora came to UConn with plenty of work to do. In 2022, Mora exceeded expectations and led the Huskies to a bowl game in his first season. Last year, UConn looked more like the team we’ve become used to with just three wins. Now, the Huskies enter the season with one of the easiest schedules in the nation and look to return to a bowl game.

Nick Evers will take over as the starting quarterback after stints at Oklahoma and Washington. The defense will be anchored by USC and Tulsa transfer Julien Simon. There are weapons on both sides of the ball and UConn tailored its schedule in a way that might allow the team to find success.