Notre Dame football: Can the Irish sneak into the College Football Playoff?
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team did not get the help they needed on Saturday during the conference championships, but can they sneak into the Playoff?
Since their bye week, the Notre Dame football team has been playing at a very high level and has certainly looked like one of the best teams in the country. Their defense is elite, they are running back with efficiency, and Jack Coan has been extremely effective in the passing game.
Going into championship weekend, the Irish, who are Independents, did not have a game to play, but they were very much involved in the action. They need two of four things to happen, which included the following:
- Oklahoma State loses to Baylor
- Alabama loses to Georgia
- Iowa beats Michigan
- Houston upsets Cincinnati
The day got started on the right foot, as Oklahoma State lost, setting the stage for Georgia, the favorite to knock off Alabama. However, Georgia did what they always do against Alabama, and was beat down, which will likely lead to the Crimson Tide being the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
As the day went on, not only did Georgia lose, but Cincinnati rolled over Houston, and Iowa was no match for Michigan. When the dust settled, only one of the four things that the Irish needed to happen actually did happen.
With that said, is there any way the Irish can sneak into the College Football Playoff this season?
Notre Dame football will be on the outside looking in
Unfortunately for the Irish, it will end up being too little, too late, as the loss to Cincinnati at home is going to come back and be the death nail in them making the playoff. Sure, they have played like one of the top-four teams in the country for over a year now, and the Marcus Freeman storyline could make this more of a conversation that it may have otherwise been, but there is no way the Irish make it in over a team that beat them at home.
The one bright spot for this program is how well they did play down the stretch, and how well the younger players contributed to their success. With Freeman as head coach, and the assistants returning next season, as well as the recruiting class coming in, the Irish will be back in the conversation next year, and hopefully, they are not relying on other programs to help them get in.