Potential Pitfall: Where is Notre Dame Vulnerable to a Trap Game?
- Noah Wehby
- 4 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Last season, Notre Dame suffered one of the most embarrassing losses in program history to NIU. This season, where could that potential "trap game" occur, and will Notre Dame be ready?
Photo by Irish Tribune
The idea of a trap game was not new to Notre Dame or its fans last year when the Irish fell at home to NIU. Although it has not always been to a mid-major like NIU, Notre Dame does have a history of not playing to their abilities when the opponent lacks the talent to compete with Notre Dame. These games were a common occurrence during the Brian Kelly era, whether it was against Tulsa, Navy, South Florida, or a few others. Unfortunately for the Fighting Irish, this trend carried over into the early stages of the Freeman era, with losses to Marshall in his first year and NIU most recently. The thing that set apart the NIU loss from all the others was the expectations that the 2024 team had. They had just beaten Texas A&M on the road in a tightly contested battle and put college football on notice. The rest of the schedule looked promising for the Irish, with only one more true test against USC at the end of the year. Everything looked perfect for Notre Dame to run the table and finish with a 12-0 record. The NIU game ruined all of it, and it put the entire program into question. The 2025 team will walk into the next season with even higher expectations, so which game could potentially be the one to completely derail their season, or will Notre Dame finally learn from their previous mistakes?
Boise State at Notre Dame - Game 5
Boise State would hardly be more shocking than NIU, as they were just in the CFP. Boise State has a long history as one of the best mid-major programs in the country and regularly competes with top programs. The biggest difference between this Boise State versus last year's team, Ashton Jeanty. Last year, Jeanty had the talent to keep them in almost any game they played in and made them dangerous to play against. Notre Dame will not have to worry about him and will be vastly more talented than Boise State. Notre Dame's history has shown that it is not enough to declare them the winner already.
The timing of this game will be what makes this game particularly tricky for the Fighting Irish. The beginning of their schedule is a gauntlet with a trip to Miami, followed by a game against Texas A&M. It then calms back down when they play Purdue, but is immediately ramped back up against Arkansas on the road. That stretch of games will be a huge focus for Notre Dame, as it will be the hardest part of their season. Boise State directly follows that stretch. It is the perfect time for Notre Dame to again let its guard down at home, following multiple difficult games within just a few weeks. Boise State is plenty good enough to take advantage if Notre Dame is not fully prepared for that matchup. Marcus Freeman has talked about learning how to manage success, and if they face Boise State 4-0, that will be a perfect time to prove they have learned how to do so.
Notre Dame at Boston College - Game 8
Any time there is a rivalry game, there is always a chance for an upset. The "Holy War" has produced incredible moments in both of these programs' history. A lot of Boston College's best moments were when they were major underdogs against Notre Dame, and this year they will surely try to recreate some of that magic. As long as the season plays out like many think, Notre Dame will be significant favorites against Boston College. They are more talented on paper, but Boston College will have two things working for them. The first being home-field advantage. If a team wants to pull off an upset, it never hurts to have your home fans working for you. Boston College will have that, as Notre Dame will likely draw a crowd. The second thing Boston College might have to their advantage is that Notre Dame will have just played USC. Notre Dame vs USC will not only be a huge rivalry game, but it will also be incredibly emotional. As things stand now, that might be the last time USC plays at Notre Dame for the foreseeable future. That will add more stakes to that game and fuel the emotions both teams play with. Boston College might be able to take advantage of Notre Dame letting its guard down after a game like that, especially if the Irish were to win.
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