Freeman Tells Notre Dame: 'Stop Talking Playoffs'
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- Marcus Freeman told reporters Tuesday to "stop worrying about the playoffs" and "stop talking about it," entering his fifth season at Notre Dame after the program was snubbed by the 12-team CFP field despite a 10-2 record last year.
- Notre Dame is expected to open the season ranked in the top five of the AP poll and will be locked into a playoff spot if it finishes in the top 12 of the CFP rankings — a guarantee the program did not have when it was left out at No. 11 last season.
- Notre Dame declined a bowl invitation after last year's playoff snub, and Freeman acknowledged the team "didn't earn that opportunity," framing it as motivation rather than grievance.
- Quarterback CJ Carr returns after leading the Irish on a 10-game winning streak to close his first season as starter, with a receiving corps headlined by Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse plus Ohio State transfers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter.
- Notre Dame had six players selected in this year's NFL draft, including the rushing tandem of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, while All-America candidate Leonard Moore returns at defensive back.
- Freeman flagged a recurring September trap — last year's 0-2 start against Miami and Texas A&M killed the playoff bid, and prior Irish teams also lost September openers to Marshall (2022), Ohio State (2022 and 2023), and Northern Illinois (2024).
- Notre Dame opens the season Sept. 6 against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.
Why it matters: Freeman's public pivot from playoff rhetoric to week-one focus is rooted in a specific, repeated pattern: Notre Dame has lost season-defining games in September four times in his tenure. With a top-five roster, an NFL-laden backfield, and a new top-12 guarantee that didn't exist a year ago, the Irish have both more margin for error and more to prove — but only if they survive the opener at Lambeau.
