The Indiana Hoosiers are parading college football’s grandest prize right through Notre Dame’s backyard. Marcus Freeman has zero interest in looking at it.
The College Football Playoff National Championship trophy arrived in South Bend this week as part of a victory tour. The hardware made a publicized stop at the Indiana University South Bend regional campus on Thursday, April 2.
Marcus Freeman Unfazed by Indiana’s Trophy Tour
Reporters asked the Notre Dame head coach about the trophy’s proximity during his Wednesday press conference following the team’s sixth spring session. He offered a blunt response, dismissing the idea that another program’s success should dictate his own roster’s daily focus.
“I’m very intentional of not being on social media,” Freeman told reporters. “I wouldn’t even have known that had you not mentioned it.”
Staring at Indiana’s championship hardware simply does not help the Fighting Irish execute better in live team drills. The Hoosiers earned their moment under head coach Curt Cignetti. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza orchestrated a brilliant Heisman Trophy campaign, becoming Indiana’s first winner of the award, to lead the offensive attack.
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Freeman believes his players must embrace the daily grind rather than fixating on a distant finish line. The coaching staff is demanding focus on the immediate tasks at hand. They want the roster worrying about film study and weight room sessions instead of parades.
“Us thinking about a national championship isn’t going to help us get better today or tomorrow,” Freeman explained during his media availability. “We have to choose to struggle in the weight room, choose to struggle in meetings. Challenge each other.”
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The program is currently dealing with its own recent heartbreak. Notre Dame narrowly missed the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff field last winter. But Freeman refuses to play the victim card regarding the postseason outcome.
He placed the blame squarely on his own program for leaving its postseason fate in the hands of an unpredictable boardroom. Consequently, the Irish cannot afford to let opponents hang around in the fourth quarter this fall. They have to dominate from the opening kickoff and build insurmountable leads.
The goal is to make the selection committee’s job boring when December rolls around. PFSN’s CFB Playoff Meter gives the Irish an 82% chance to make the playoff this year and an 8.7% chance to win it all.
