SOUTH BEND, Ind. — There are days when Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman admits he gazes over at Notre Dame Stadium and envisions a frigid December night, a packed crowd and the rarest happening in Notre Dame’s rich football history — a first.
In the 117 seasons of Notre Dame football, there have been 11 national titles, seven Heisman Trophy winners and 70 first-round NFL draft picks. It has inspired a blockbuster film, generational lore and fostered a national brand as strong as any in sports.
That doesn’t leave a lot of room for firsts. But heading into the 12-team College Football Playoff era, which starts this fall, Notre Dame is perhaps the best-positioned program to host a playoff game. And Freeman says he catches himself when he begins to think about it.
“I try not to daydream, because me daydreaming about that doesn’t really help us get there,” Freeman told ESPN recently in his office. “And the times that I do drift to that point, it’s a reminder that, OK, let’s get back to the tangible things that we can do right now to help us get to that point.”
Entering Freeman’s third season with another high-profile transfer at quarterback, there’s optimism for Irish fans to invest in a heavy coat and wool hat for some December football in South Bend.
The expanded playoff collides with what projects as Notre Dame’s best overall roster in Freeman’s three years there. There’s a flourishing NIL program to help fill the roster’s holes and hot recruiting that has the Irish with the No. 4 class for 2025 in ESPN’s rankings.
The arrival of transfer quarterback Riley Leonard from Duke combines with a star-studded defense, highlighted by projected first-round pick Benjamin Morrison at cornerback, and a salty and experienced defensive line.
That roster colliding with an expanded playoff gives Notre Dame perhaps the best chance of any school to host a CFP game in 2024. With the 12-team playoff having arrived with byes for the four highest-ranked conference champions, Notre Dame cannot get a first-round bye because it is an independent.
After winning nine games in Freeman’s debut season in 2022 and 10 games and finishing No. 14 in the Associated Press poll last year, a CFP appearance would be part of the logical progression.
“That’s got to be a realistic expectation,” Freeman said. “That we have to be one of those 12 teams is a goal. I think we are going to have a great opportunity. I think with the talent we…
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