Notre Dame football 2022: Is 10-2 acceptable?
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 Playoff berth.
What I’m essentially asking are who are the two losses against? Are they Ohio State and Clemson? Ohio State and USC? Ohio State and other? Or perhaps after a shocking upset of Ohio State do the Irish still manage two losses on the year?
10-2 with a loss to Ohio State and Clemson would feel very much like more of the same for Notre Dame as not being able to beat elites was the story under Brian Kelly.
10-2 with a loss at Ohio State to start the year before 10-straight wins and a loss at USC to close the regular season would feel like disappointment, regardless of how good the Trojans end up.
10-2 with a loss at Ohio State and to someone other than the big-three would also feel like disappointment.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that a 10-2 season under Marcus Freeman would be a very good year for Notre Dame and that it’d be a huge building block for a program that is seeing their recruiting classes grow in terms of talent in the years to come. However, seemingly anyway you shape it, 10-2 will feel a bit disappointing even if there is plenty of reason to think it’s a damn fine debut season.
Man, I’m happy my day job doesn’t come with that much pressure.
Related
2022 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Schedule: Downloadable Wallpaper
Paul Finebaum wants Notre Dame in the Big Ten
Two Notre Dame defensive players make preseason award watch lists
Report: Baylor quarterback commit to visit Notre Dame this week
List
Notre Dame All-Time Bowl History
