247Sports: Notre Dame will be key player in 2021 playoff race

All eyes will be on the Irish in 2021.

While Notre Dame was able to quiet the “need to join a conference” crowd in 2020, it was all too eager to regain independence for 2021. Now that that’s happened, those critics inevitably are going to reemerge. However, what if at least for this season, the Irish will play a major factor in the College Football Playoff picture anyway? 247Sports seems to think that will be the case as it has the Irish in four of the 10 games it believes will shape the playoff race, more than any other program:

So if the Irish intend to take this at face value, they really are going to have be on their toes four times over a five-game period. Obviously, this could change if the Irish don’t get off to the start everyone is expecting. For now, at least one outlet has high hopes for the Irish as far as determining who makes the final cut. If it’s not pressure on the Irish, it’s the satisfaction of knowing their role for all of college football in 2021.