Take 5: College Football Playoff, Notre Dame And The Transfer Portal, Rylie Mills

College Football Playoff thoughts, Rylie Mills, next year and beyond for Notre Dame and the transfer portal.

1. I’m going to write something that could be construed as defeatism.

I don’t think it’s in Notre Dame’s best interest to qualify for the College Football Playoffs. Why? Because Georgia is so superior to any team I’ve watched that it’d be just another double-digit loss for the Irish in its national title quest. If Notre Dame does sneak it into the playoff picture, it’d almost certainly be in the fourth spot, which would likely get them a game against Georgia. How good is Georgia? It has played the second-toughest schedule in the country, according to teamrankings.com and the Bulldogs have a 28.7 point average margin of victory. 

Conversely, the second half of the Irish schedule has slipped considerably. USC (4-5) has lost two of its last three, Navy is bad and Virginia isn’t that good without Brennan Armstrong. Notre Dame has opened as a 15.5-point favorite against Georgia Tech (3-7). The Stanford line could be similar. I love this Notre Dame team but there is nothing about it that suggests that it has moved into the Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State sphere of good. So, let’s keep the season fun. I’d prefer to see them play a team like Michigan or Pittsburgh in a bowl game. It would be great entertainment.

2. To quote the inimitable Charlie Weis, I’m going to be the great anticipator and look ahead to the 2022 season. In the next couple of seasons, Notre Dame has its best chance to make the College Football Playoffs and be competitive in the CFP games. In other words, this is a program on the verge of taking a step up. The Irish will know quickly where it stands. They open at Ohio State. They also play Clemson at home in 2022 and North Carolina on the road. Why the optimism? It’s a young team. Notre Dame had eight true freshman play in its 28-3 victory over Virginia. Some of them, like running back Logan Diggs, wide receiver Lorenzo Styles, left tackle Joe Alt and quarterback Tyler Buchner could be elite. Add freshman tackle Blake Fisher, who is injured, and a number of freshmen that are good that haven’t seen the field yet because the players ahead of them are better, and the future is very bright.

3. Defensive tackle Rylie Mills is an example of a young player that was just waiting his turn. Mills, a 6 foot 5, 283-pound sophomore defensive end, finished with four tackles and two sacks in Notre Dame’s victory over Virginia. Mills was by far the most efficient defensive linemen when it came to disruptive plays. He had 34 snaps. Mills had three tackles and a sack before the game against the Cavaliers. He got more playing time because starting defensive end Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa was out with the flu. Mills, who was playing inside, will likely get more time on the outside in the final two games.

4. A transfer portal point. The teams that make the best use of the portal can avoid the inevitable dips that come when an “old” team graduates. Case in point is Jack Coan excelling at quarterback after Ian Book left. It seemed like a risky move at the season’s start. It has paid off. The Irish didn’t have to rely on an inexperienced Drew Pyne or Tyler Buchner, a freshman.

Maybe this is a two or three-loss team without Coan. I’m not sure how ND wins at Florida State without Coan. The portal doesn’t favor one type of program over another. It favors coaches who make smart decisions about which players to recruit.

5. It wasn’t all great news this weekend for Notre Dame football. Sonny Styles, a 6-4, 215-pound safety from Pickerington Central High School in Pickerington Ohio committed to Ohio State for 2023. Styles was ranked as the No. 1 safety in the country by 247Sports and he was rated as a lock for Notre Dame by the 247 analysts. Styles is the younger brother of Lorenzo Styles, a freshman wide receiver for the Irish. Styles has Kyle Hamilton potential, although Notre Dame was recruiting him to play rover and linebacker. Oh, well. You can’t win them all.

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