Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame football program were unceremoniously left out of the College Football Playoff last season and were notably peevedby the end result. This season, Freeman and the Fighting Irish are looking for a more favorable outcome, and the head coach has preached a specific mindset this summer to that end.
"Stop worrying about the playoffs," Freeman said at a press conference. "Stop talking about it."
With that said, Freeman wants his team to have the CFP as an end goal, but wants them to focus on what is right in front of them first.
"That doesn't need to be said, it's the reminder of what the work that must be done is to give your program a chance to play past Game 12," Freeman said. "That's important, to get into the playoffs.
That's what I continue to remind our program, our coaches, our players about."
Notre Dame will begin its quest to reach the CFP on Sept. 5 when they face Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Marcus Freeman reveals Notre Dame's mindset heading into 2026 season
