The Notre Dame football program had a prime shot at making the college football playoffs last season before everything collapsed by week two. By the time the end of the season came around this team still ended up winning nine games and capped off the year with a thrilling bowl victory over South Carolina. 

Now they come into the 20 23–24 college football season looking to make a run at the playoffs once again in the second year of Marcus Freeman‘s tenure as head coach in South Bend. All the pieces in terms of the roster are falling in place, and this season might be their best season in a long time for them to compete for a national championship.

The Play Of Sam Hartman

The biggest key for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, will be the performance of the Heisman candidate quarterback, Sam Hartman. After the transfers of both Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne, Hartman comes into this season as the established number one. That is something this program hasn’t had quite a few seasons, especially during the Brian Kelly era where he’s cycled through quarterbacks like normal people cycle through groceries. 

If Hartman can step up to the plate and deliver like he is expected then this Notre Dame team has a limitless ceiling during this season. Many people have him pegged as potentially being a top 10 quarterback in the country, and if he lives up to that potential, there is no telling just how good this Notre Dame offense can be this season.

Finding A Playmaking Wide Receiver

This is a problem that has plagued Notre Dame throughout the years, and nothing more than last season when they were down to a thin amount of scholarship wide receivers.  However, this season could potentially be a changing of the guard in South Bend when it comes to the wide receiver position, as there are several big-name freshmen that look ready to step up and produce right out of the gate. One player who looks more than ready to contribute as a freshman is wide receiver Jaden Greathouse. 

Marcus Freeman said back in April that Greathouse shine during the blue and gold spring game. He has also specifically mentioned guys like Rico Flores and Braylon James, as two more freshman wide receivers that will likely see playing time immediately, and could contribute towards the offense in a big way. If any of those three guys can become the difference maker that quarterback Sam Hartman needs, then it will surely close the gap between Notre Dame and some of the elite teams in college football.

Defense Continues to Improve

Last year’s Notre Dame defense was electric, and it seemed like they would provide you with big play after big play, especially when it mattered most. Guys like Benjamin Morrison, Rylie Mills, and Jordan Botelho will all be counted on once again, to make some more big players, step to the forefront, and lead the defense here in 2023. All three of these guys are capable of becoming major impact players within this defensive unit for the Irish this season. 

They will need to remain healthy and not allow themselves to get sidetracked throughout the year. If the defense can be as stingy as they were in the back half of last season, and find ways to contain all the electric quarterbacks. They will see this season, like Cade Klubnik and Caleb Williams, then Notre Dame will have the perfect formula to get themselves to 11-1 or 12-0 and put themselves in a position to make the College Football Playoff in the final season of its four team iteration. 

Being Able To Beat Elite Teams

As usual, Notre Dame plays one of the toughest schedules in the country this season, and they will see the likes of top 10 teams Clemson, USC, and Ohio State throughout the year. Going undefeated this season won’t be an easy task by any means, but they have all the potential in the world to do so with the way the roster is constructed, and with a guy like Sam Hartman leading them at quarterback. They get the added benefit of hosting both USC and Ohio State this season after traveling to play both of them last year in hostile environments. 

They even had Ohio State on the ropes to open up last season before everything fell apart in the fourth quarter and they would go on the loose by double digits. They will be looking to repeat their dominant performance over Clemson as well after they absolutely blasted the Tigers last season. Simply put, the Irish will have to find a way to beat the elite team if they want to earn themselves a spot in the college football playoffs this upcoming season.

Parity 

Much like every college football season every single team in the country is going to need some sort of parity if they wanna make the playoffs. As usual, there will be several upsets much like there is every single season that absolutely alter the face of the playoffs by the time conference championship weekend arrives. Notre Dame will have to benefit from that parity as they will be without a conference championship game and truthfully cannot manage to slip up throughout the regular season. 

However, as we saw last year, a one loss Notre Dame likely would’ve made the postseason after all the parity that occurred during the regular season. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before but the Irish will also need a little bit of luck if they want to find themselves in the playoffs in 2023. They still have to handle things themselves on the field and going 12-0 would be almost an automatic ticket into the postseason but a little help never hurt anybody either.