If the Notre Dame football team loses to the Clemson Tigers in the ACC title game, they still deserve a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Notre Dame football team battled their way through a perfect regular season, beating the No. 1 ranked Clemson Tigers at home, and winning some tough road games down the stretch. Quarterback Ian Book has played his way into the Heisman Trophy conversation as of late, getting the job done with his arm, and his legs, and at times, willing the Irish to victories.
Also, running back Kyren Williams went from a player who got a handful of carries last season, to a player who has looked like the best running back in the ACC. That is a huge compliment considering Travis Etienne and Javonte Williams are considers some of the best backs in the country, but his 1,000-yard season has shown he is also one of the elite.
On defense, the Irish have gotten a total team effort from all three levels, and they played huge when it mattered the most. Whether it was late-game sacks against Clemson, or handcuffing an explosive North Carolina offense, the Irish defense rose to the challenge time and time again, leading to a spot in the ACC title game.
With that game a little over a week away, the experts have been in major discussions about whether the loser of that game should go to the College Football Playoff. A two-loss Clemson team should not make it, but even with a loss, Notre Dame should get in.
Notre Dame football deserves to be in CFP no matter what
One of the four best teams in college football
It really comes down to the fact that the Irish are one of the best four teams in the country, and no matter what happens next Saturday, they should have already punched their ticket to the Final Four. While Clemson is one of the four-best as well, it is going to hard for the committee to vote them in with two losses, even though they would deserve to be there as well.
Looking at the Irish as a whole, they have not only the talent to win it all this season, but also the experienced, led by Book. During the team’s win against Syracuse, Book became the all-time winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history, passing Tom Clements, Ron Powlus, and Brady Quinn with 30 victories for his career.
With Book playing at such a high level, and Williams being a do-everything back, the offense is loaded, especially when you consider he has guys like Michael Mayer, Javon McKinley, and Ben Skowronek to throw to. On defense, they could have the best linebacker in college football in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, while boasting quality, veteran guys in the secondary.
Overall, the Irish are a team that nobody wants to face with their season on the line, and while there have been plenty of storylines going into games each week about them being for real, they have come out on top every time. For Book to finish his career with a national title would make him arguably the best to ever do it at the school, and he legitimately has the talent around him to do just that.