Why is Notre Dame not in a conference for college football? Here's what to know as the Irish are set to compete in the CFP championship game on Monday:

Find out below my very early projection from Notre Dame’s offensive starters when the return to the field to travel to face the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 30, 2025. See the full 2025 schedule here. (Note: This is prior to any players making transfer or NFL declarations.)

But evolution is also a choice. The dinosaurs didn't have to walk into the tar pits. And college football programs -- even old-timers such as Ohio State and Notre Dame -- don't have to walk into the quicksand of mediocrity, led there by the blinders of obligation to keep on keeping on the same way that Knute Rockne and Woody Hayes did.