Notre Dame football: It's not just the CFP, No. 1 Miami is a legacy game for the Irish
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Only one thing matters for Notre Dame football this weekend.
It’s not the College Football Playoff rankings. The Irish are No. 11 in the first rankings of the fall, which shouldn’t mean anything.
The CFP rankings are always partial to the SEC. Look no further than Alabama being ranked No. 5. It just benefits the SEC over everything.
That’s why the CFP rankings don’t matter. The Associated Press poll doesn’t matter. College Game Day coming to campus is fun, but shouldn't matter. Not even the loss to BYU matters, now.
The one thing that matters now, over everything, is beating Miami. It’s more than just the CFP on the line, too.
It’s a legacy game.
What we know:
For a team that has goals of a national title, Step 1 needs to be getting into the CFP. That’s easier said than done when the committee is inconsistent and cares deeply about the SEC.
That playoff committee made it known what they thought about Notre Dame. They just finally explained in with the CFP rankings show.
"They are a very good football team," CFP Chair Hunter Yurachek said Tuesday evening. "But when you look at Notre Dame's schedule and the wins they have vs. the teams that are ahead of them, they don't have that signature win right now. They lost in their only Top-25 matchup at BYU. Their next-best-win is on a neutral site against Wisconsin. They've got a great opportunity in front of them this weekend at home vs. Miami to get that signature win that I think they need to move up in the rankings."
That’s a lot of words to say the Irish are on thin ice.
Still, it doesn’t matter.
Beat No. 1 Miami, and the Irish will be playoff bound. Lose, and they’ll most likely be left out for a second consecutive season.
These are the stakes at hand. They’re massive. For Notre Dame, featuring a team that’s vowed to return to the CFP since losing by 11 in the national championship game just two seasons ago and has plenty of players from that roster still playing in South Bend.
This is why it’s a legacy game.
CHAPEL HILL, NC - OCTOBER 03: Head coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts during the college football game against the North Carolina Tar Heels on October 03, 2026 at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo
Big picture view:
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is aware of the implications. He’s aware of how the implications stuck in the past with Miami vs. Notre Dame. Catholics vs. Convicts, 31-30 in 1988 and even last year’s loss, which played a key part in keeping the Irish out of the CFP.
"You understand and make sure the players understand the history and tradition of the rivalry because it makes you appreciate the opportunity you have now. That’s the most important thing," Freeman said this week. "It’s important to understand the history: the games, wins and losses. It’s important."
It’s important now, because this is meaningful football in November. It’s not about Miami vs. Notre Dame, it’s about this Irish team that plenty picked to win a national title.
For quarterback CJ Carr, he can beat any perception that he struggles to perform in big games. He’s started against Texas A&M, Miami and BYU in the last two seasons, all losses. Win, and that perception is dust. He was one play away from doing it in Provo, too.
For this Irish defense, which has struggled when the moments were brightest, stopping Heisman Trophy candidate Darian Mensah in Malachi Toney’s absence aligns more with what the Irish were in 2024 than they were the last two years.
For Jaden Greathouse, a big game against Miami’s defense aligns him closer to the big-game receiver he was against BYU, Ohio State and Penn State. Just like Carr, he can do it.
For Marcus Freeman, he can prove he’s more than just a CFP run in 2024. Selective memories forget how he’s built the program into a playoff contender and coached in a national championship game. The losses to the Aggies, Hurricanes and Cougars loom over it all. Beating No. 1 at home would dispel all of that.
For this Notre Dame team, which spent all offseason playing with a national championship in mind, a win aligns you with that idea and solidifies the Irish in the CFP. A loss keeps you out. It's the last chance to prove you're one of the best teams in the nation before the CFP committee takes control of the narratives.
This core will either be playoff bound two times in three years, or once in three years.
That’s what’s on the line Saturday. It’s not just Miami vs. Notre Dame. It’s not even close to being No. 1 vs. No. 11, or whatever the confusing, confounding, inconsistent and disingenuous CFP committee thinks.
It’s a legacy game for the 2026 Notre Dame football team. Prepare accordingly.
The Source: Opinion is from FOX Chicago's Chris Kwiecinski, who covers college football regularly.