College football betting: Can the Irish still win the national championship?

Well, this isn’t the start I was expecting for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Two games in and the record says zero wins, two losses. The story, however, is a little more complicated than that. Sometimes the numbers on the surface don’t capture the full picture, and sometimes the beginning of a season doesn’t tell the whole story of where it could go.

Notre Dame has stumbled out of the gate, but the bigger question is whether those stumbles are cracks in the foundation or simply early growing pains against top-tier competition. What comes next will decide if this season fades into disappointment or transforms into something entirely different.

The 0-2 start and what it really means

On the surface, Notre Dame’s 0-2 start looks like a disaster. The Irish lost their opener on the road to the Miami Hurricanes, then followed it up with a one-point heartbreaker against the Texas A&M Aggies in South Bend.

That kind of start usually feels like a season that slipped away before it ever had a chance to take off. But not all 0-2 records are created equal. These weren’t sloppy losses to unranked opponents or collapses against teams they should have beaten. They were competitive games against programs that could be among the best in the country by the end of the year.

Miami already looks like a legitimate top-three contender, and A&M has the talent to hold steady in the top 10. Context matters, and if Notre Dame steadies itself, this rough opening stretch could end up looking more like an early test than a death sentence.

Where the Irish stand right now

That being said, Notre Dame is a bit of a mixed bag. The good thing is that QB CJ Carr has shown poise for a freshman, completing over 60% of his passes and already has chemistry with tight end Eli Raridon, who has emerged as a real weapon.

The run game has also flashed upside with Jadarian Price ripping off chunk plays and Jeremiah Love providing steady touches and receptions. The bad is on the defensive side. The Irish have only one sack through two games and the secondary has been exposed, giving up efficient drives and too many explosive plays. That is not going to cut it against better passing offenses.

These are issues of pressure and execution more than talent, which should be fixable. Being more aggression up front and tightening assignments on the back end can shift the defense from leaky to stable, giving Carr and the offense room to grow.

The road back to playoff relevance

The path back to playoff relevance is still open. The good news is Notre Dame’s schedule from here is manageable. Games against Purdue, Navy, Boston College, Syracuse and Stanford are all opportunities to stack wins and rebuild confidence. The real prove-it moments will come against USC and Arkansas, but the Irish have the talent to get the wins needed.

The bad news is starting 0-2 leaves zero margin for error. Any slip against a team they should beat would be devastating, and without a conference championship game to boost its résumé, Notre Dame has to look dominant the rest of the way.

Marcus Freeman’s squad can clean up what has held it back. If the defense generates more pressure and the freshman quarterback continues to grow, Notre Dame has a clear shot to finish 10-2, a record that can absolutely land the Irish in the playoff.

Betting consideration for Notre Dame

A betting angle here for the Irish is about perception. Having not won a game, the market often reacts more to record than context.

That means you might see softer lines in the short term, especially against middle-tier opponents like Purdue or Boston College. Oddsmakers know the public could fade a winless Notre Dame team, so you could get discounted spreads on a program that still has talent and ability for improvement.

Another angle is the futures market. If a recalibrated win total or playoff price pops up later this week, it will reflect panic, not potential.

The trick is to separate narrative from reality. Notre Dame is better than its record suggests, and betting markets that lean too heavily into an 0-2 start could create value for anyone paying closer attention.

My two cents: Playoff potential? Notre Dame is still alive. National title hopes? That’s a much steeper climb. The ceiling looks like a playoff berth, but anything more would require a leap in defensive disruption and Carr playing well beyond his years.