A game-by-game look at how Notre Dame advanced to the CFP Championship game

Coach: Marcus Freeman, 33-9 (three seasons)

Last national championship: 1988

Did you know: Notre Dame players have won the Heisman Trophy seven times (tied with Ohio State and Oklahoma for second behind USC with 8) - Angelo Bertelli, 1943; Johnny Lujack, 1947; Leon Hart, 1949; Johnny Lattner, 1953; Paul Hornung, 1956; John Huarte, 1964; Tim Brown, 1987.

Here’s a game-by-game look at the 2024 season for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish:

Game 1: Notre Dame 23, Texas A&M 13

Jeremiyah Love’s 21-yard touchdown run with 1:54 left broke a 13-13 tie and helped seal the win for the Irish on the road. Riley Leonard, who transferred from Duke, had a strong performance in his Notre Dame debut, with 158 yards passing and 63 yards rushing.

Game 2: Northern Illinois 16, Notre Dame 14

Mitch Jeter’s 62-yard field-goal attempt as time expired was blocked by Northern Illinois on the final play of a stunning two-point loss for the Irish in South Bend. Leonard and Love had TD runs in the game, but Leonard’s fourth-quarter interception was a key play for the visitors in their comeback win.

Game 3: Notre Dame 66, Purdue 7

The Irish rolled to their highest point total and biggest victory margin of the 88-game series against their state rival. Leonard led an offense which had 578 total yards, while the Boilermakers were held to 162 yards on offense.

Game 4: Notre Dame 28, Miami (Ohio) 3

Leonard accounted for 297 yards of total offense and three touchdowns as the Irish won in their first home game since losing to Northern Illinois. The Irish were booed by the crowd a couple of times during the first three drives as they twice went three-and-out and turned it over on downs.

Game 5: Notre Dame 31, Louisville 24

The Irish relied on a last-minute defensive stand to hand the Cardinals their first loss of the season. Louisville had a delay-of-game penalty on a fourth-and-1 at the Notre Dame 46. After the 5-yard penalty, an incomplete pass ended the Louisville comeback attempt.

Game 6: Notre Dame 49, Stanford 7

Leonard had four touchdowns in the win over the Cardinal. He was 16-of-22 passing for 229 yards and three scores, and rushed six times for 31 yards and a TD.

Game 7: Notre Dame 31, Georgia Tech 13

Tech took an early 7-0 lead, but the Irish answered with 31 consecutive points and rolled to their fifth consecutive victory. The game was played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Game 8: Notre Dame 51, Navy 14

Love ran for 102 yards, two touchdowns and extended his streak of rushing for a TD to eight games. The Irish took advantage of six turnovers in the win over previously unbeaten Navy.

Game 9: Notre Dame 52, Florida State 3

The Irish rolled up 453 yards of total offense while the defense had eight sacks and two additional tackles for loss. The victory, the largest in a rivalry highlighted by down-to-the-wire finishes, evened the series at 6-6.

Game 10: Notre Dame 35, Virginia 14

Leonard passed for three touchdowns, and Notre Dame’s defense forced five turnovers in the win. The Irish opened a 35-0 lead and rolled to their eighth consecutive victory.

Game 11: Notre Dame 49, Army 14

Notre Dame scored touchdowns on four of its six drives in the first half, then added another 10 seconds into the second half when Love went 68 yards on the first play to make the score 35-7. Love had three touchdowns in the game, which was played at Yankee Stadium.

Game 12: Notre Dame 49, USC 35

Christian Gray returned his interception 99 yards for a score with 3:39 to play, Xavier Watts returned another interception 100 yards for a TD with 1:18 left. Leonard threw two touchdown passes and rushed for another score for the Irish, who won their 10th consecutive game.

Game 13: Notre Dame 27, Indiana 17

The Irish won the first game of the 12-team College Football Playoff format, defeating the Hoosiers in a cold Friday night matchup in South Bend. Love tied a school record with a 98-yard touchdown run on the third play of the game, Leonard accounted for two more scores and the Fighting Irish held high-scoring Indiana in check.

Game 14: Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10

The Irish defeated the Bulldogs in a quarterfinals matchup at the Sugar Bowl, which was postponed a day following a deadly terrorist attack in New Orleans. The win secured a berth in the national semifinals against Penn State, which defeated Boise State in its quarterfinals matchup.

Game 15: Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24

The Irish used a late interception and field goal to defeat the Nittany Lions and advance to the national championship game. Jeter’s game-winning 41-yard field goal put the Irish in position to win the school’s first national title since 1988.