College football analyst Kirk Herbstreit has provided his perspective on the Notre Dame vs Texas A&M matchup, suggesting the game might not carry the do-or-die stakes many believe. While most assume Marcus Freeman must guide the Fighting Irish past the Aggies to stay alive in the College Football Playoff race, Herbstreit doesn’t see it that way.
“Well, I think with 12 teams, you don’t have to jump to that conclusion in Week 2,” Herbstreit said when asked if Notre Dame has to win to keep its playoff chances intact. “It’s a massive game. Anytime you lose to Miami, and now you’ve got Texas A&M coming to your place, it’s significant. It’ll help their cause and make things a lot easier. But this is a football team that right now doesn’t need to be worrying about the Playoff. They just need to take care of business and win a football game.”
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Herbstreit added that he believes the Irish have the talent to beat the Aggies at home. He also pointed to freshman quarterback CJ Carr’s performance in a difficult environment as a reason for optimism.
“I thought CJ Carr did enough in that game, in a tough environment, to make you feel like, ‘Hey, this team has a chance.’ If Notre Dame loses this one and finishes 10–2, they probably still have a strong case to be in.”
Notre Dame can also take confidence from recent success against Texas A&M. Last year, the Irish earned a 10-point victory in College Station, breaking open a tight contest after a 6-6 first half.
Freeman has already compiled an impressive record against the SEC, going 3-0 with wins over Georgia, South Carolina and the Aggies. Texas A&M, meanwhile, has struggled badly in ranked road games, going 0-13 since 2014 with an average score of 34-18.
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