Desmond Howard Names Program That Could ‘Write In’ College Football Playoff Spot In Week 1

The college football season officially kicked off in Ireland with Georgia Tech's stunning win over Florida State. Now, Week 1 is approaching with a number of top-25 matchups.

Clemson vs. Georgia, LSU vs. USC, and Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M are the marquee matchups to kick off the season. Miami vs. Florida is another, although the Gators aren't ranked to start the year.

On Tuesday during an episode of Get UP, college football analyst Desmond Howard named one program that could "write in" a spot in the College Football Playoff with a win in Week 1. That program is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Mike Greenberg revealed that people were saying a Notre Dame win would mean they could already be put into a spot in the playoff. Here's what Howard said.

"Yes sir," Howard stated. "Paul Finebaum he chuckled too because you know it's true. They have a relatively light schedule after this Texas A&M game...Don't forget, they don't have a conference championship game, either. This is their season. All they need to do is win these games starting Saturday and they are in the driver's seat."

On the other hand, Howard did say it depends on how well Texas A&M fares this season.

"This may be a signature win or just another win depending on how the Aggies season goes after Saturday," Howard said. "You look at Notre Dame's schedule, they win Saturday you can just go ahead and write them in ink in the College Football Playoff."

Texas A&M is ranked No. 20 going into Saturday's game, so they have a lot of hype around them entering Week 1.

Notre Dame is ranked No. 7, so they could be a major threat this year if they play well and get the win against the Aggies.

Besides the Texas A&M game, Notre Dame has intriguing matchups against Louisville, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and USC. However, Howard mentioned that Florida State's loss to Georgia Tech could change the magnitude of that game depending on how the Seminoles do going forward.

All in all, if Marcus Freeman and the Irish can get the win in College Station in Week 1, they could be a popular pick for the College Football Playoff.

Related: Desmond Howard Declares The 'Top Dog' In The SEC