Marcus Freeman took a defection-filled Notre Dame team to the Sun Bowl and defeated an even more defection-filled Oregon State team.
What does it mean?
It meant that Freeman got his first 10-win season in South Bend and is 2-0 in bowl games when he’s captained the ship from game one.
Here’s the thing. No one cares about a 2-0 bowl record when the bowl wins are the Gator Bowl and the Sun Bowl.
With a 12-team playoff set to start, the expectation is for Notre Dame to become a playoff team.
The pressure will be immense on many coaches nationwide, not just Freeman. Most fan bases think a 12-team playoff means their team should make it. Failing to make it after years of complaining about the four-team playoff system could spell disaster for a lot of coaches, including Freeman.
For once, the Irish’s schedule might not play in their favor.
Say what you will about Notre Dame’s independence, but it has helped the Irish have one of the most challenging schedules annually.
The 2024 opens in College Station, and that might be a must-win when you consider the rest of the schedule.
With the transfer portal, looking at a schedule and making judgments this early is hard, but USC at the Coliseum might be their only other chance.
That would leave Notre Dame’s two most important games on the road. It’s certainly not a schedule that plays in the Irish’s favor. That means the Irish have little to no room for error with the rest of the schedule.
Freeman can’t have a heartbreaking loss like the one against Ohio State. There can’t be a repeat of what happened at Louisville. And a Clemson-like performance at USC could leave them out of the playoff.
For Freeman, today’s win will have to do what last year’s Gator Bowl didn’t do. Serve as a springboard into the next season.
