Who will Notre Dame play next in the CFP? Full College Football Playoff schedule

Any hopes of the Indiana Hoosiers upsetting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Friday night in the First Round College Football Playoff seemed to die with every step that running back Jeremiyah Love took down the sidelines on his 98-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. While it wasn't the most dominant effort overall from the Irish offense, it was a total blowout by the eye test, especially when the Notre Dame defense was on the field.

The Fighting Irish took a 7-0 lead on Love's touchdown run and never looked back. While it was only a 27-17 win, it didn't even feel that close. Indiana's offense was largely hapless against the Notre Dame front and couldn't get a single game going throughout the night until what amounted to desperation garbage time. Marcus Freeman's team asserted their dominance.

But the job is not done for Notre Dame — not in the slightest. This team came into the College Football Playoff knowing they need to win four games to end the year the way they want to, as national champions. One is in the books but it's now onto the quarterfinals. But what's next for the Fighting Irish?

Let's dive into Notre Dame's next opponent and even further into the CFP schedule to look at the potential path ahead for the Fighting Irish.

Who does Notre Dame play next in the College Football Playoff?

Notre Dame's next College Football Playoff opponent will be the Georgia Bulldogs. The Dawgs earned a bye through the First Round by way of winning the SEC Championship over the Texas Longhorns and will now play the Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 1 with kickoff at 8:45 p.m. ET. Coverage is slated for ESPN.

The matchup with Georgia is going to be fascinating. Not only are the Bulldogs bar none the best opponent that Notre Dame will have faced this year — perhaps by a wide margin too — but Georgia offers a bit of unknown in the matchup as well. Starting quarterback Carson Beck suffered an elbow injury that will keep him out of the CFP, turning the page to Gunner Stockton at quarterback for Kirby Smart's team.

We've seen, at least in the four-team College Football Playoff, a backup quarterback help lead the way to a national championship. However, there's a world wherein that could give Notre Dame a serious advantage in this Sugar Bowl matchup.

Full CFP schedule: Notre Dame's schedule and path

Notre Dame's path from here on out, as mentioned, starts with Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. From that point if they were to win against the Bulldogs, the Fighting Irish would then take on the winner of the Fiesta Bowl. Mountain West champion Boise State is already locked into that matchup after the bye but will face the winner of SMU and Penn State. That CFP Semifinal matchup would take place in the Orange Bowl.

A win in the Orange Bowl would then put Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship Game. It's obviously far too early to tell which opponent the Irish would be facing at that point. However, Oregon and Texas have been pegged as the two likeliest favorites to make it out of the other side of the College Football Playoff bracket.

When was the last time Notre Dame won a national championship?

Notre Dame last won a national championship in football back in 1988, meaning it's been more than three decades since the proud Fighting Irish program has been at the pinnacle of college football. In fact, the matchup against Indiana was the third appearance for the program in the College Football Playoff (2018 and 2020 were the other two) after making the four-team field twice, but the victory over the Hoosiers was the first win in the Playoff for Notre Dame.