Notre Dame cannot catch a break this upcoming season.

The path to the esteemed College Football Playoff might be a little tougher for the No. 5 Fighting Irish this season, per Paul Finebaum on ESPN’s ‘Get Up!’.

Starting the season against No. 2 Ohio State will provide some tough competition for Notre Dame. Clemson and USC will also warrant a strong competition this season for the Fighting Irish on the schedule.

The pressure continues to heat up and Finebaum is not convinced that Notre Dame has the mindset to beat Ohio State and how they more than likely will not win against Clemson or USC, either.

“I think Ohio State has all the pressure on them because we just think — we’ve been told by the experts — that Ohio State is just going to roll over them. So I do think that part of the game helps Notre Dame except the problem is … Notre Dame is down a little bit,” Finebaum said. “They’ve had some injuries. And they’re going up against an offensive juggernaut. … Quite frankly, it sounds great that they can lose by six, and then beat Southern Cal and beat Clemson, but that’s not going to happen. So we are spending a lot of good oxygen here on a lost cause. Notre Dame is not going to be in the playoffs.”

With a potential Playoff ride on the line, the Fighting Irish will need to evaluate and see how this game plays out on the road. Notre Dame will take on Ohio State at Ohio Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 3.