"They feel the heat": Paul Finebaum warns Notre Dame could kiss playoff hopes goodbye with Texas A&M loss

Notre Dame Fighting Irish under coach Marcus Freeman opened the season with a 27-24 loss to the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 31. Freeman's team had an open week but will face familiar foes, the Texas A&M Aggies, in Week 3.

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum warned the Fighting Irish about potentially missing the College Football Playoff should they lose to the Aggies on Saturday.

“Last year, this game was the opener," Finebaum said on Sunday (22:22), via the "Matt Barrie Show." "A&M just wasn’t ready, and they slopped around and let Notre Dame win. But this game carries more weight now, especially for Notre Dame. They feel the heat. If they lose, they could be out of the playoff before we even get to the first day of autumn.

“I think pressure is on, and that might tilt things a bit toward Texas A&M. Still, it’s only Sunday, and there’s a long way to go before Saturday afternoon in South Bend. But make no mistake, this is a sneaky, sneaky great game.”

In ESPN's latest Football Power Index, Notre Dame dropped to No. 10 after its open week. The program was also given just a 24.7% chance to make the CFP and a projected 8.8-3.2 record at the end of the season.

Notre Dame coach sticking with maligned QB

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman named redshirt freshman CJ Carr as the team's QB1 to replace Riley Leonard. Despite some early struggles against the Miami Hurricanes in Week 1, Carr went 19 of 30 for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He added one rushing touchdown.

During his weekly news conference, Freeman stood by Carr ahead of the important Week 3 matchup.

"His (Carr's) ceiling is so high," Freeman said on Sept. 1. "He's going to have to take this loss and not let it eat at him too much. He's a gamer. He performs when the lights are on. He prepares his tail off. He's going to do great things. It's just the start for him."

The Fighting Irish started the 2024 season with a 23-13 win against the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station. It ended in a national championship game appearance against the Ohio State Buckeyes.