I can’t use the term inevitable after just two seasons. Still too small a sample sizeYes because zero chance of getting into playoffs equals zero chance of doing well in the playoffs.
August 31 looms large for Freeman--a must win because he has otherwise shown thus far there will inevitably be another toe stubbing/egg laying at some point during the year such as 2022 Marshall/Stanford/USC, 2023 Ville/Clemson, and moreorless 2023 Duke. All the talking heads are baking one into their season predictions because of the propensity.
Lose the only difficult game of the year and drop another against such as easy schedule and it's highly unlikely ND makes the playoffs.