Notre Dame football is healing up before the College Football Playoff begins. Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman says three players are available for the first round contest with Indiana, per The Athletic. Those players are: Howard Cross, Jeremiyah Love and Devyn Ford.

Notre Dame football is making its first CFP appearance as a program. The squad is the no. 7 seed in the event, and hosts no. 10 seed Indiana in the opening round. The winner of that contest moves on to play no. 2 seed Georgia in a quarterfinal game.

Notre Dame will have running backs Love and Ford, as well as defensive lineman Cross. All three players have contributed this season to the squad, despite injuries. Love is the biggest contributor, as the tailback has 949 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.

The Fighting Irish lost only one game so far this season, to Northern Illinois.

Notre Dame football has big expectations in the CFP

Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) jumps over Southern California Trojans safety Kamari Ramsey (7) during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Fighting Irish enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in college football. Notre Dame has won 10 games in a row, after losing a heartbreaking game early on to Northern Illinois.

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Although the squad plays as an independent, Notre Dame has played solid programs. The Fighting Irish defeated Texas A&M, as well as USC and a ranked Army team. The squad also made mincemeat of several ACC schools, including lowly Florida State.

Marcus Freeman's been trying to get the school into the CFP for the last several years. Now that it's happened, Notre Dame fans want him to win games in the event. The Fighting Irish will have their hands full playing an Indiana team that exceeded all expectations in year 1 under coach Curt Cignetti.

The additions of the three Notre Dame players will certainly have fans excited. Ford and Love give a lot of depth to the rushing attack. Their additions also take some pressure off of Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard. A Duke transfer, Leonard has done a great job acting as a dual-threat this year. Leonard's rushed for 721 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Notre Dame quarterback has also been effective through the air. Leonard has thrown for 2,092 yards this season, as well as 16 touchdowns. He will need one of his best games of the year to defeat a ranked Indiana team, with a stellar rush defense.

Notre Dame football and Indiana play Friday. The game kicks off at 8:00 Eastern. Both schools are 11-1 on the year.