As the Notre Dame football team takes on the USC Trojans on Saturday, it will prove to be a crucial game for the Fighting Irish as they're looking to get back to being a national title contender. With the Notre Dame football team clashing with the Trojans, analyst Desmond Howard strikes the program with reality ahead of the matchup.

Howard was on “College GameDay” on ESPN, where the game was brought up as being ultra important for the Fighting Irish, especially with two losses already on the season, one to No. 2 Miami, which lost to unranked Louisville on Friday night. The program would be deemed as having “zero margin for error” from here on out, as being independent makes it harder for them to have more routes to the College Football Playoff (CFP).

“No doubt about that, because you look at Notre Dame, really good team, two losses, two quality losses, one to Miami, who lost last night to Louisville, the other to Texas A&M, a combined four points they lost those two games,” Howard said. “So at this point, Notre Dame has no zero margin for error. Moving forward, they cannot boost USC. Why? Notre Dame is independent.”

“They don't have a conference game to try to boost their resume with the CFP, so they have to beat USC,” Howard continued. “And look at the Trojans, guys. They come to South Bend off of a quality win at home against Michigan, but they're able to travel up to South Bend and knock off the Fighting Irish. We're starting to look at them a little bit differently, too. So a lot at stake, USC versus Notre Dame.”

Notre Dame football is looking to be a CFP contender 

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Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman stresses trust on defense after the Purdue football win as the Fighting Irish improve to 1-2.
© MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While some feel that the Notre Dame football team is no doubt a CFP squad led by head coach Marcus. Freeman, it could change with a loss to the Trojans on Saturday. One person who feels strongly about it is Joel Klatt, who claims that the program wins out.

“Notre Dame is going to make the CFP. I think they are going to go 10-2,” Klatt said on Oct. 2. “I think they win ten straight, I think that they do, I think they get back into the race. They just need, they really need, Texas A&M and Miami to continue to win.”

Things have changed since then, but the Fighting Irish, in some ways, control their own destiny, looking to win out with the first step on Saturday against USC.