If you’re a Notre Dame fan and you could signup to accept the Irish finishing the regular season 10-2 would you take it right now?
Or do you think the expectation for this team should be College Football Playoff or bust?
As we’re in the final days of July and the light at the end of the off-season tunnel gets brighter each day, it’s time to start really focusing in on what the 2022 season is ultimately going to bring for Notre Dame. A trip to Ohio State to start is about as tough of task as you can ask for, but September then features incredibly winnable games against Marshall, Cal, and North Carolina.
BYU presents a challenge in Las Vegas to start October but again, the month sees home games against Stanford and UNLV that should be be wins while a trip to Syracuse on Halloween weekend isn’t exactly daunting.
Clemson comes to Notre Dame Stadium to open November in the biggest home game of the year before contests against Navy and Boston College bridge the gap to the USC rivalry game at November’s end.
With that schedule in mind are you signing up for 10-2? I ask that record specifically because of where Pete Fiutak of College Football News projects Notre Dame to play this postseason as he’s released his preseason bowl projections.
NEXT: Where Fiutak sends Notre Dame this bowl season
Fiutak released his preseason bowl projections on College Football News this week and has Notre Dame playing a team they meet occasionally now in with their ACC connection.
A team they’ve only played three times previously.
Fiutak’s preseason bowl projection for Notre Dame:
Orange Bowl vs. North Carolina State
December 30, 2022
Fiutak calls for the Irish to head to Miami and take on a North Carolina State program that they’ve only met three times previously, all of which have come since the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day 2003.
Oddly enough, if Fiutak correctly calls his shot on this one then the Irish and Wolfpack would have met more times in the state of Florida than they have in either Indiana or North Carolina.
NEXT: Is the Orange Bowl good enough in Freeman’s first year?
So I’ll ask again and share my answer as well. Is an Orange Bowl appearance in Marcus Freeman’s first season acceptable for this 2022 Notre Dame team?
Of course I can’t give you a simple yes or no but instead am more curious how the 10-2 comes to be, as I’m assuming an 11-1 record against Notre Dame’s schedule this fall would be good enough for a College Football…