Don't Pencil In Winner Of Cotton Bowl As CFP Champion, Notre Dame Has One More Stop On Redemption Tour

It might not have been pretty for Notre Dame at times during the Orange Bowl, but they once again found a different way to defeat a Top-10 team. This time, their efforts clinched a spot in the college football playoff national title game. 

You can call it ‘luck’ of the Irish, but it's obviously time to move on from that loss to Northern Illinois in September. Throughout the week leading up to their game with Penn State, it felt as if Marcus Freeman had to come up with reasons why his team deserved to be in this spot. 

Beating Georgia last week must not have  been enough. OK, that's fine, but winning on this stage, with their season on the line, Notre Dame should certainly not be overlooked on January 20th in Atlanta. 

Sure, there were times on Thursday night where it looked as if the Irish could've folded like a cheap chair inside Hard Rock Stadium, trailing 10-0 at one point in the game. But this is a football team that has been through the ringer before, with their backs against the wall. 

"I hope people that see this football team that aren't with us every day sees a bunch of individuals that put team in front of themselves, and that's a lesson that is going to help you achieve great things in football but great things in life," Marcus Freeman said about his team. "You have to be selfless to achieve anything great. We've got a locker room full of selfless players and selfless coaches."

If you can get through the embarrassment that followed a loss to Northern Illinois, there's not much that will faze this football team. That showed up once again at the most pivotal point of the season for this team, which has been questioned for the past four months. 

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 09: Head coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with his team after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24 in the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 09, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

All they did on Thursday night was claw their way back into the game, scoring seventeen straight points, sending shockwaves throughout the Penn State fan base. And while Riley Leonard threw two interceptions against the Nittany Lions, he rallied when his team needed him the most. After Penn State took the lead with 7:55 remaining in the game, Leonard hit Jaden Greathouse for a 54-yard touchdown pass that tied it up 24-24. 

You want to know how this Notre Dame team approached this game? Look no further than banged-up running back Jeremiyah Love following the win. 

"We went out and played like the dogs that we are. We ain’t no little dogs, we’re big dogs. They was the little dogs today. Little cats. Whatever you want to call them," Love said postgame. 

After mesmerizing the country last week against Georgia with its defense, they once again stepped-up in the final minute, pressuring Drew Allar into throwing a bad interception that gave the Irish the opportunity to win. The moment wasn't too big for Riley Leonard, getting his team into position for Mitch Jeter to kick the game-winning 41-yard field goal to send Notre Dame into the national championship. 

If there was ever a moment where the Fighting Irish proclaimed to the college football world that they were back, it was Thursday night against Penn State. 

And for the folks that think this football team is just showing up in Atlanta to grab the second place trophy of the 2024 season, you haven’t been paying attention to this squad's grit. 

Marcus Freeman Took The Opportunity At Notre Dame And Didn’t Look Back

When Brian Kelly walked out of South Bend just over three years ago, he wanted to coach at a school dedicated to winning national championships. Three seasons later, it's his predecessor that will lead Notre Dame into the College Football Playoff title game, with a bright future still ahead. 

Freeman has the opportunity to become the youngest coach (39) to win a national title since Danny Ford did it at Clemson in 1981, when he was just 33-years-old. 

I was already hearing some folks talk about the defacto national champion being crowned in Dallas tonight, where Texas and Ohio State play in the Cotton Bowl. Sure, you can look at what the Buckeyes have done over the past two games and think they are a shoo-in to win the title, assuming their offense continues to produce such impressive stats. 

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 09: Riley Leonard #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (C) and head coach Marcus Freeman (R) celebrate after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24 in the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 09, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)

Notre Dame Should Not Be Counted Out

But there's something about this Notre Dame squad, and it all centers around the folks that have counted them out since the second week of the season. They thrive on the doubters, playing with a chip on their shoulders every game, looking to prove that they would not be defined by a September upset. 

"Yeah, I often tell them, in your lowest moments you find out the most about yourself," Marcus Freeman said postgame. "We've had low moments, but we had a really low moment week 2, and these guys battled. We've got great leaders. We've got great players that chose to put this university and this football program in front of themselves.

"That to me is probably the single most -- the single thing that I'm probably most proud of, is how we have a group of individuals that truly put Notre Dame football in front of themselves."

And when you have a group of players who have bought-in to a coach and his philosophy, it's a dangerous combination, which is exactly what Notre Dame has going for them right now. This team is begging you to overlook them in the lead-up to the title game. 

As you all witnessed on Thursday night when the Fighting Irish came storming out of the locker room at halftime, this football team is dangerous, with plenty of weapons to make your life miserable. 

Doubt them, talk about the Buckeyes or Longhorns for the next eleven days. As Indiana, Georgia and Penn State have all learned over the past three weeks, this Notre Dame squad is good enough to hoist another trophy in Atlanta. 

And it has nothing to do with luck.