There are a few marquee matchups in Week 1 of the college football season, including Notre Dame at Texas A&M.
The primetime clash between the No. 7 Fighting Irish and No. 20 Aggies could have an early impact on the College Football Playoff race, in the eyes of ESPN’s Desmond Howard.
On Get Up Tuesday morning, Howard argued that Notre Dame can essentially punch its playoff ticket with a win in College Station Saturday night.
“Besides this Texas A&M game, they have a relatively light schedule. And don’t forget: they don’t have a conference championship game either,” Howard said of the Irish. “This is their season. All they need to do is win these games starting Saturday and they’re in the driver’s seat.”
“They win Saturday, and you can just go ahead and write them in ink in the College Football Playoff,” he added.
Notre Dame does have a couple of tough games on paper after this weekend, with Howard mentioning contests against Georgia Tech (Oct. 19) and Florida State (Nov. 9).
The Irish also host Louisville on Sept. 28 and end their season in November with a trip to USC. However, given the fact a 10-2 Notre Dame team still stands a good chance of reaching the expanded 12-team playoff, Howard’s opinion on the importance of a win over A&M isn’t that far-fetched.
Notre Dame and Texas A&M will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday night on ABC.
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