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On3's Brett McMurphy projects Notre Dame as the top overall seed in the CFP

On3's Brett McMurphy projects Notre Dame as the top overall seed in the CFP

USA Today02-07-2025
While nothing major has changed for Notre Dame football over the last few months, the perception of the team has certainly done so, which was enough to push On3's Brett McMurphy to name them as his top overall seed in his latest College Football Playoff projection.
The Irish are now able to qualify for one of the four first-round byes, and McMurphy believes that they'll take full advantage of the new seeding rules. In his projection, Notre Dame would face the winner of the first-round matchup between LSU and Oregon, the No. 8 & 9 seeds. It would be great to stick it to Brian Kelly, but he doesn't have it playing out that way, as the Irish would take on the Ducks in the quarterfinals.
McMurphy has Notre Dame winning that game, setting up its fourth-straight season playing Ohio State. Unfortunately, the projection has this hypothetical game playing out like the last three, with the Irish on the losing end of it.
He doesn't have the Buckeyes winning back-to-back titles however, as McMurphy has the Georgia Bulldogs winning it all. While this would still be a great season for Notre Dame if it plays out this way, the championship drought would continue to rear its ugly head.
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