Notre Dame is a win over USC away from a spot in the College Football Playoff and a likely first-round game at home.
The No. 6 Fighting Irish blew out No. 19 Army, 49-14, to end the Black Knights’ bid for an undefeated season. With Army’s loss coming hours after No. 5 Indiana lost to No. 2 Ohio State, No. 1 Oregon is the only undefeated team in the country ahead of the final week of the regular season.
Much like Navy earlier in the season, Army found itself in a quick deficit to Notre Dame and simply couldn’t recover. Notre Dame took a 14-0 lead after a blocked punt set up an easy touchdown and had 28-7 lead at halftime.
Any doubt about the outcome was removed in the third quarter when Jeremiyah Love raced 68 yards for a TD on the first offensive play of the second half.
Notre Dame has now won nine straight games since losing to Northern Illinois in Week 2. After early season struggles, Duke transfer Riley Leonard is much more comfortable as a passer in the Irish offense, though the run game is still the primary force.
Notre Dame rushed 28 times for 275 yards against Army. In its 51-14 win over Navy on Oct. 26, Notre Dame had 40 carries for 265 yards and four scores. Love also had a 64-yard run in that game.
Saturday night, he had seven carries for 130 yards and two scores on the ground in addition to catching a 6-yard TD pass from Leonard.
The Irish were so comfortable with their 28-point lead in the third quarter that Leonard got pulled in the period for backup QB Steve Angeli. Leonard helped call plays from the sideline with Angeli in the game as the backup got some passing reps.
While the Notre Dame offense has excelled in recent weeks, the defense has also been excellent. Notre Dame hasn’t given up more than 14 points in a game since a 31-24 win over Louisville at the end of September.
Granted, Notre Dame’s schedule hasn’t been the strongest as Florida State is in the midst of a miserable season. But it’s hard to argue against the Irish’s success lately. Especially as other playoff contenders lost in Week 13.
A win over the Trojans will guarantee Notre Dame will host a playoff game and the Irish could even be the No. 5 seed. The Irish may also be in with a loss, too. The dream of a home game may be gone if USC wins, but it’s hard to find a team outside the top 12 that would replace a 10-2 Notre Dame team.
Army, meanwhile, still has a very outside shot at the College Football Playoff. The Black Knights are guaranteed to play Tulane for the AAC title on Dec. 6. A win in that game could get Army into the playoff as the fifth-highest conference champion. But the Black Knights would need some help from No. 12 Boise State and some high-profile losses in the Big 12 during the final week of the season.