The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are on the verge of making their third College Football Playoff appearance.

Thanks to No. 9 Baylor’s upset win over No. 5 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship, the door is wide open for 1-loss Notre Dame to make the final top 4 Sunday. Yes, that Brian Kelly-less Notre Dame. The Irish recently elevated defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to head coach, and the committee won’t count Kelly leaving against them due to Freeman now being the head coach.

The last 2 Playoff appearances, the Irish have gotten boat-raced by Clemson (30-3 in 2018) and Alabama (31-14 in 2020), and fans aren’t in favor of bringing the Irish back for another appearance.

Following the Cowboys loss to the Bears, Notre Dame released a video with their new head coach in Freeman calling his team “one of the best football teams in the country.”

“They’re a special group,” Freeman said. “We are one of the best football teams in the country, and we will see what happens after this weekend, but to me, no committee, no ranking could really justify how good this team is.”

Yes, the Irish are campaigning for a Playoff spot once again.