Head coach Marcus Freeman has the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-2) right back in the playoff conversation of 2025 season. With No.9 Notre Dame pushing an eight-game winning streak, the momentum is building in South Bend as the Irish prepare to host Syracuse on Saturday.
A major reason behind the surge is the continued prowess of star running back Jeremiyah Love, who has already surpassed 1,100 rushing yards with 14 touchdowns, his second straight season topping the 1,000-yard mark.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Love was asked to compare the feel of this year’s team to last season’s squad, which reached the national championship game. The question focused on how the current roster stacks up mentally and emotionally heading into the final stretch.
Love gave an unexpectedly candid answer about the team’s mentality and their internal growth from a year ago.
“I feel like this team is really good, man. Compared to last season, I would say I feel like the brotherhood is there more. But, kudos to last year's team and whatever we were able to accomplish. We got to get to the national championship. We didn't win it all, but we got there. We took some lessons from that,” Love said, reflecting on the journey.
He then explained why this year feels different for the Fighting Irish, noting that the group has developed a stronger bond and a sharper competitive edge as the postseason approaches.
“As far as this team this season, we're ready to go, really,” Love said. “We got to focus on the now, finish the season out, and once that's over, we're putting our foot on the gas and we're going… we feel very confident in our ability to go out there and compete with anybody… our brotherhood is there. We got the players, we got the culture, we got the coaches.”
Despite speculation about whether the Irish might move up or down, Notre Dame remained at No. 9 in the latest CFP rankings. With matchups against Syracuse and Stanford left on the schedule, Notre Dame has a real chance to strengthen its résumé before the selection committee makes its final decisions.
On the other hand, Love, who added another 147 rushing yards and a touchdown in a dominant 37-15 win over Pitt, continues to fuel the offense and insert his name deeper into the Heisman conversation.
