Can Notre Dame make a push for the playoffs?

Often criticized for their independence, Notre Dame football enters the season with one goal in mind – to fight for the National Championship by making the College Football Playoff.

The Fighting Irish were completely out of contention last season but finished the year on a high note, defeating the LSU Tigers in the Music City Bowl, 31-28. However, in the offseason many folks – fans, players, and coaches included – had their say as to whether or not the Irish even deserved a spot in the playoffs due to their lack of a conference championship game.

However, following their 38-3 manhandling of Texas on Saturday in South Bend, some are changing their tune.

Almost straight from kick-off the Irish were dominant. The Irish ran all over the Longhorns – Will Fuller played pitch and catch and nearly waltzed his way into the end zone, and Malik Zaire had more time in the pocket than most of us spend in the waiting area at the BMV.

When all was said and done, Zaire had as many incomplete passes as touchdowns and the Irish recorded over 527 yards of total offense while holding the visitors to just 163 yards total. The lone hitch of the evening came when Tarean Folston limped to the locker room in the first quarter, and now the team has learned that their starting RB tore his MCL. However, after getting reps last year and into this season, C.J. Prosise is now set to step up and take charge heading to Virginia this weekend.

It’s plenty early in the season, and clearly Texas were not the formidable foes many thought they would be when heading into the opening weekend, but now Notre Dame looks excellent and on both sides of the ball. Plenty of credit goes to Zaire, Prosise, Fuller, and more, but the D-BOYZ (as they were known last year) put in a display of their own led by linebacker Jaylon Smith.

Sep 5, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back C.J. Prosise (20) celebrates after Notre Dame defeated the Texas Longhorns 38-3 at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

The D-line drove straight through the front like they were playing against a team of high schoolers and put pressure on poor Tyrone Swoopes the entirety of the game, and the junior Smith pressed his impact for a team-high 7 tackles. Texas was stumped and held to just three points off a field goal that came early in the third quarter after going into the half down 17-0.

When the clock reached zeros, the sea of burnt orange that had invaded Notre Dame stadium was all but invisible – copious amounts heading for the exits while few stayed – and the Irish were on their way to their end-of-season goal, one game at a time.

The Cavaliers are next on the schedule, but the biggest test of the year so far will come against Georgia Tech in two weeks time at home.

Simply put, no question the Irish can theoretically fight for a place in the coveted four come December.

Ignore the critics spouting nonsense about conference play – even if the Irish have a one in the loss column despite their favorable schedule, they are still like to push out a Power 5 conference team. If they play every game like they did on Saturday, the future is bright and with “Lucky Lefty” under center their potential has still yet to be reached.

So, sorry Sweeney, sorry Pinkel, and sorry Twitter, but the Irish look poised for a finish as strong as their start.

Next: ICYMI: Three Pacers in SI Top 100