Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman on CFP worthiness
Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman says Irish are playing as well as anybody in the country ahead of College Football Playoff selection.
Notre Dame football is on the bubble in the College Football Playoff race, with the Fighting Irish currently occupying the final at-large bid at No. 10 in the rankings.
Coach Marcus Freeman shared his argument for Notre Dame during an interview with Fox ahead of No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday, Dec. 6, before the bracket is revealed on Dec. 7.
“I think the ultimate question is: ‘Who’s the best team now?'” Freeman said. “And that’s what the playoff committee wants and I’m sure that’s what college football fans want. I think anytime you look at one single data point, it’s going to sway you one way or another.
“But the committee made it clear on Tuesday that the debate and focus has been on Notre Dame and Alabama. I might not agree with their decision to flip us, but it shows the debate isn’t Notre Dame (and) BYU (or) Miami, it’s Notre Dame and Alabama.”
Notre Dame was ranked No. 9 over No. 10 Alabama for two weeks before Alabama jumped Notre Dame on Dec. 2 after its road win over Auburn. The Fighting Irish have won 10 consecutive games after dropping their first two games of the season against Miami, another CFP bubble team, and Texas A&M, who’s firmly in the picture.
Alabama fell to Georgia 28-7 in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 6, which could potentially make a dent in the Crimson Tide’s CFP chances. Notre Dame has won all of its 10 games by double-digits, although only one of those games was against a current ranked team (No. 16 USC).
“As I evaluate our team, and what we’ve been able to do these past 10 weeks, I believe we’re as complete of a team and playing as well as anyone in the country,” Freeman said. “Ten straight wins by at least 10 points or more. Think only four teams in the top 25 have done that. I think only three teams in the past five years have won 10 straight games with an average margin of 30 points per victory.”
Freeman also shared his argument for Notre Dame over Miami, although it fell to the Hurricanes in Week 1. The head-to-head debate between the Fighting Irish and Miami has been one of the most-heated arguments in the sport in recent weeks.
“We’re 10-2 with losses to currently No. 7 and No. 12 team in college football rankings by a combined four points,” he said. “And they were the first two weeks of the season. You look at Miami, who went 10-2 and’s a really good football team, but their two losses are to two unranked teams in the middle of the season and in early November.
“I just don’t believe you can eliminate a team based on one data point.”
