Notre Dame football: Week 6 results that affect the Fighting Irish

Which Week 6 results not involving Notre Dame football affect the Fighting Irish?

Notre Dame football was finally back in action during week 6, but they were far from the only team playing. Several top 25 teams went down, while several others were pushed to the edge of the cliff. Meanwhile, the ACC had several key games take place.

So, which of those were the most important results for Notre Dame football fans?

Clemson 42 Miami 17

A top-10 matchup, Clemson and Miami got all the attention leading up to their game, but what we got was a non-competitive game. Clemson dominated, especially on defense, over a Miami team who was averaging 43 points per game.

Miami quarterback, D’Eriq King, couldn’t move the ball through the air and had only 121 yards to 2 interceptions. King also led Miami in rushing, with 84 yards and a touchdown. 7 of Miami’s points came from a blocked kick, while King did most of his rushing damage on one 56 yards touchdown run.

Clemson running back Travis Etienne looks like a video game character. He’s so fast, strong, and agile. At the same time, he doesn’t look like he needs to try, even against good teams. Their quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, is the presumed number 1 overall NFL draft pick. It’s going to be hard for anyone to stop them.

This game was not necessarily an indictment of Miami, but more a stage for Clemson to flex its muscles. Clemson is dominant, and while Miami isn’t on that elite level, they’re definitely much improved. Notre Dame has to play Clemson in November, and they need to beat out Miami (among others) to make it to the ACC Championship Game.

Boston College 31 Pitt 30

Boston College and Pitt represent two teams on Notre Dame’s schedule, who are almost impossible to figure out.

Well, we know the basics. Pitt has an amazing pass rusher, and one of the best safeties in the ACC, in Paris Ford. Meanwhile, Kenny Pickett isn’t bad, but certainly not elite. On Boston College’s side, we all know their quarterback is a transfer from Notre Dame, Phil Jurkovec. The Eagles thought they’d have a great power run game, behind David Bailey, but it hasn’t manifested. On defense, you can already see coach Jeff Hafley’s influence, as they’ve taken major steps forward.

At the same time, things haven’t always clicked properly for either team. Boston College had to escape Texas State, before taking North Carolina to the edge. Pitt, meanwhile, started the season as hot as they come and wound up in the top-25. Now, they’ve withered back to a 3-2 record.

Duke 38 Syracuse 24

Neither Duke nor Syracuse is going to contend for the ACC Championship Game. That’s a plain fact. However, by winning today, Notre Dame finally has an opponent, who they’ve already played, that has beaten an FBS opponent. This was Duke’s first win on the season, meanwhile, USF and Florida State have only beaten FCS opponents.

Had the Wake Forest game gone off, well they have yet to beat an FBS team too. Next week’s game, against Louisville, fits these criteria as well. The Cardinals’ only win is over FCS Eastern Kentucky.

So much for that strength of a conference schedule.

Texas A&M 41 Florida 38

A top-25 matchup in the SEC, the Florida Gators have quickly become one of the most exciting offenses in all of college football and a sleeper to win the SEC. They do have an Achilles’ Heel, though. Florida has tons of issues on defense, and they manifested against the Aggies.

It cost them, and they lost on a last-second field goal.

So, how does this affect Notre Dame? Well, they were a spot ahead of the Irish in the rankings, giving Notre Dame an opportunity to move up in the AP Poll. The number 4 spot is where you need to be to make the College Football Playoff, and while the AP rankings don’t factor into the College Football Playoff rankings, they’re a good indicator of where teams will start in those rankings.