Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MAY 2022 5 ENGEL'S ANGLE PATRICK ENGEL Patrick Engel has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since March 2020. He can be reached at pengel@blueandgold.com Y es, it's a break in trend. Notre Dame will no longer be one of two FBS teams to never play an FCS program since the 1978 Division I split occurred. The Irish are one of three right now, but UCLA will exit the ranks this season (leaving only USC with that distinction after 2023). That's a matter of pride for diehard fans. It's one way to poke at the "13th data point" concerns about teams who play conference title games but often have an FCS opponent as one of their 13 foes. Notre Dame's decision to schedule Tennessee State in 2023 doesn't need to bring universal Irish fan enthusiasm, even with the meaningful historical as- pect of it being the program's first game against a historically black college or university (HBCU). Tradition holds a place in fans' hearts in this sport as much as any other, no matter how insignificant or niche some- thing like a non-FCS opponent streak might be in the larger picture. The game itself should have little suspense and be decided by halftime. Like all games and trips to Notre Dame Stadium, cost of attendance won't be cheap. But here's what playing Tennessee State doesn't do: tank Notre Dame's schedule, increase the degree of diffi- culty to make the College Football Play- off or do any real harm. And those are the most important considerations. First, there's the caveat of what it re- places. Notre Dame had only five home games in 2023 after shipping its annual date with Navy to Ireland. It needed a sixth. It also needed a game the week af- ter returning from Dublin that wouldn't be a potential trap like Purdue was in 2012. If Tennessee State didn't fill this slot, a lowly Group of Five team would have been the choice. There is a difference between bottom-barrel FBS teams and most FCS ones, but not from a playoff résumé perspective. Either way, it's the worst game on Notre Dame's schedule and the committee will pay it little at- tention unless it's a loss. Playoff teams are not decided by a team's easiest opponent, but rather its toughest ones. The Irish's 2023 slate has three games that should give it plenty of weight: Ohio State, Clemson and USC. The first two have won three of the past eight national titles and own a com- bined 10 CFP appearances. The third will be in Year 2 of the Lincoln Riley era and the likely Pac-12 favorite. That's three potential high-end wins. Three other teams on the docket — Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and North Car- olina State — won at least nine games this year. Maybe road trips to Louisville and Stanford produce something useful. Those big three opponents and the rest of the Power Five ones will dictate Notre Dame's schedule perception, no matter if the final space in it has an FCS team or a Mid-American Conference one. All told, Notre Dame's 2023 regular- season lineup has nine Power Five op- ponents — the same number as 2021, 2019, 2017 and 2015. The 2021 team missed the CFP with an 11-1 record be- cause its schedule only had one team in the final CFP top 25 (Cincinnati), and it lost that game. Eleven FBS opponents versus 12 matters much less than play- ing and beating high-end teams, top-25 teams and .500-or-better opponents. In the seven non-pandemic years with normal schedules, 19 of the 28 CFP participants played an FCS team. That includes Cincinnati, which reached the play- off because it beat Notre Dame on the road and top- pled No. 20 Houston. And Alabama, which went 11-1 in 2017 with just two wins over top-25 teams (none vs. top-15 squads). That's seven years illus- trating that the bottom of the schedule doesn't stain résumés. The top builds them, and the teams that comprise it on Notre Dame's 2023 schedule must deliver on expectations. If they do, Notre Dame must beat at least a couple of them. An 11-1 record with two wins over top-15ish USC, Clemson and Ohio State, and a few more over bowl teams, will have plenty of CFP appeal no mat- ter if the 12th game is Eastern Michi- gan or Tennessee State — just like an 11-1 mark with zero top-25 wins will get swatted away no matter the worst opponent. And in terms of traditions around such a storied program, the break in trend is minor. Not playing FCS schools is down the list and a fact only known to ardent Irish fans. It also feels far less deliberate than others when looking at the pre-1978 schedule and seeing games against teams currently in Division II, Division III and the NAIA — as well as obscure now-defunct ones. There aren't many firsts left for Notre Dame to accomplish these days. The 2020 season took care of a big one, competing in a conference. Playing an HBCU adds a new chapter in this pro- gram's long history book. All it costs is a schedule slot that was otherwise headed for a matchup with an anonymous di- rectional school that would be conse- quential for CFP hopes only in defeat. ✦ Notre Dame Stadium will host an FCS team and an HBCU opponent for the first time when Tennessee State visits on Sept. 2, 2023. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Tennessee State Game Won't Hurt Notre Dame's 2023 College Football Playoff Outlook