Notre Dame football found out who they’ll host in the first-round of the College Football Playoff on Sunday afternoon, and their opponent will not have to travel for to get to Notre Dame Stadium.
The Irish finished the season ranked as the No. 5 team in the CFP rankings, which was a bit different than what the US LBM Coaches Poll had them at. As one of the only teams across the country with just one-loss, Notre Dame heading into the postseason with hopes of making a run in the new 12-team format.
Find out below who the Irish will face in the College Football Playoff.
Who will Notre Dame play in CFP?
Indiana Hoosiers
How Notre Dame and Indiana match up
The Hoosiers statistically have a better offense than the Irish, averaging 438.8 yards per-game compared the Notre Dame’s 421.3, but not much of a difference there. Indiana is the second-ranked scoring team in the country with 43.3 points-per-game, with the Irish right behind them nationally with 39.8.
Defensively the Hoosiers have been great this fall, allowing us 14.7 points-per-game to Notre Dame’s 13.6. Both of them ranks inside the top-10 of that category nationally. Indiana allows just 244.8 yards-per-game, while the Irish give up 296.8.
Notre Dame CFP predictions
When you look at who Indiana has played, its two close games have been against tougher opponents. Notre Dame has cruised through its schedule after Week 2, and if it plays out how I think it will, the Irish will move to the next round.
When are CFP quarterfinals?
Notre Dame will host Indiana on Saturday, Dec. 21 at TBD in Notre Dame Stadium.
What bowl game will Notre Dame play in?
As of this moment, the Irish will be hosting the first-round game, and if they advance, will make a bowl game next.
CFP schedule
Quarterfinals will be played on Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21, with the next round of games being played on Tuesday, Dec. 31 and Wednesday, Jan. 1. The semifinals are set to begin on Thursday, Jan 9 and Friday, Jan. 10 with the title game being played on Monday, Jan. 20.