Happy Thursday - These are your Thursday Tidbits

198 Points

The Irish have won their first six games by a total of 198 points. The 33 point average margin of victory is more than 87 teams are averaging per game this season. At 16 straight games, ND’s double digit victory margin is now just one shy of Miami’s (2000-01) modern day streak record. The Irish have spent just 7:44 of game time all season trailing.

Happy Thursday - These are your Thursday Tidbits - Stanford

Fifteen and Counting

Notre Dame’s 15th consecutive win by double digits, now the second longest streak in college football history, proved to be a reminder that the offense has more upside than it showed in September. Freshman Jonaz Walton ran 23 times for 120 yards and had a late 31-yard touchdown wiped out by a penalty, leading the Irish rushing attack that secured 241 yards against Carolina. 

Happy Thursday - These are your Thursday Tidbits - North Carolina

Under the radar

Notre Dame leads the nation in most consecutive wins (41) when leading at the half. According to The Athletic’s playoff predictor, ND is given a 94% chance of making the tournament, tops in the nation. The Sagarin Rating (sagarin.com/sports/cfsend.htm), a metric used by the playoff selection committee has the Irish #1 in the nation, having played the 27th hardest schedule to date. Despite all of this, there is very little conversation about the Irish in the national media. It is hard to believe that ND is flying under the radar as the AP #3 team in the country.

Happy Thursday - These are your Thursday Tidbits - Purdue

Only 17?

Notre Dame’s seventeen point victory on Saturday marked the 13th consecutive game the Irish have won by double digits, surpassing Knute Rockne’s 1921-1922 squads for the most in school history. It marks Freeman’s second thirteen game winning streak. Despite this historic run, the victory against MSU felt underwhelming.

Two special teams miscues, a running game that seems stagnant, the nonexistence of wideout Greathouse, and an offensive line that has yet to coalesce collectively doesn’t mesh with national championship expectations a quarter of the way through the regular season. 

Happy Thursday - These are your Thursday Tidbits - Michigan State

2-0

Notre Dame’s touchdown fourteen seconds into last Saturday’s game was the 8th fastest score in their history. Rice’s 128 total yards was the lowest total since the Weis era (Washington -coached by Willingham). The game was the first shutout since 2022 against BC.

The Fighting Irish are totaling 414 yards of offense and 46.5 points per game through the first two weeks, while allowing just 206 yards and 6.5 points to its opponents.

Happy Thursday - These are your Thursday Tidbits - Rice

Overreaction

Okay, okay, Notre Dame was sluggish, mistake-prone and fortunate to be leading after the first half, however, let’s keep things in perspective.

During the second half, ND’s offensive line played better and the run game started opening up, Wisconsin’s zone defense had a ton of holes in pass coverage, and the Irish just started making it look easy. The defense, with the exception of one blown coverage, was excellent. 

Happy Thursday - These are your Thursday Tidbits - Wisconsin

Team 138

Notre Dame begins its 138th football season on Sunday with high expectations. According to DraftKings, the Irish are +600 to win the national championship (second only to Ohio). They also have a nation’s leading 88% chance of making the playoffs according to The Athletic.

If all goes as planned, Marcus Freeman (43-12) will surpass both Elmer Layden (47-13-3) and Dan Devine (53-16-1) in victories sometime in November, becoming the sixth winningest coach in program history.

CJ Carr enters the season as the Heisman favorite by DraftKings (+700) with a 13% chance to win the award. The last player to successfully buck the “preseason favorite curse” was Marcus Mariota in 2014. There are also a slew of other Irishmen on multiple preseason awards watchlists.

Happy Thursday - These are your Thursday Tidbits - Preseason

“Leave no doubt…”

This simple message from Coach Marcus Freeman emerged after both his flirtation with the NFL and the CFP snub last year, signaling that the Irish are all in this season. The combination of coaching, team chemistry, players’ buy-in, scheduling, and financial resources is all aligned for a championship or bust run for Notre Dame, as Freeman has taken the long offseason and turned it into one of the most urgent ones in school history.