Notre Dame football: How the Irish can make the College Football Playoff

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – NOVEMBER 13: Kyren Williams #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish breaks a tackle by Joey Blount #29 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at Scott Stadium on November 13, 2021 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football: How the Irish can make the College Football Playoff

So will it happen?

At this point, the Playoff would look something like: 1) Georgia, 2) Ohio State, 3) Oregon 4) ?. Notre Dame would fit into that four seed based on the current rankings. However, there is always the chance someone from the Big 12 or ACC could jump past them. For instance, if Oklahoma State won out, would ranked wins over Oklahoma and Baylor be enough of a bump to their strength of schedule to jump past the Irish? Would winning the ACC be enough for Wake Forest? Either case is possible, and even likely.

Because of that, Notre Dame could use more help than they currently have gotten. Oregon losing and eliminating the PAC-12 would help. They’ve had a couple close calls, and the end of their season is tricky with Utah and Oregon State, plus the PAC-12 Championship Game. Even if Oregon doesn’t lose, they already lost to Stanford. If Notre Dame wins their season finale, it would be a great comparison for the committee.

Along with that, letting the Big 12 and ACC further canninbalize themselves would also help the Irish. Of course, Notre Dame also needs to win out for any of this to matter, but with Georgia Tech and Stanford remaining, this shouldn’t be an issue. If it is an issue, then Notre Dame doesn’t deserve to be in the Playoff.

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 23: Tyler Buchner #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs the ball during the game against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium on October 23, 2021 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

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In all of this respect, along with how impressive Notre Dame’s schedule has been in hindsight, the Irish are actually in a great position to make the College Football Playoff. It’s likely that Georgia and Ohio State win out. It’s possible Cincinnati loses. Yes, there are a few breaks that need to go Notre Dame’s way, but it’s not out of the world of possibilities. The bigger question is whether or not Notre Dame wants to make the Playoff this season. After all, wouldn’t it be better to play the Big 12 Champion in the Fiesta Bowl than Georgia in a semi-final game?

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