2024 Week 7 College Football Playoff rankings prediction: Notre Dame still in
If you thought Notre Dame football would solidify its playoff position with a blowout win over the Stanford Cardinal then you made the brutal mistake of thinking the polls operate using logic and reason.
The good news is that the Irish are still very much in the mix for a playoff spot and they now have another chance to show they really are a good team this weekend. The Blue and Gold take on Georgia Tech on Saturday morning and while the Rambling Wreck aren't ranked, they are 5-2 on the season.
While the Notre Dame football team didn't do anything to improve their playoff status, they also didn't do anything to make it worse. They are ranked 12th in the AP and 11th in the US LBM Coaches Poll. And that means they are definitely inside the College Football playoff bracket.
The question now is whether or not they host a home game in the first round. Right now, the answer is no. But they're moving closer to getting to do that.
Week 7 College Football Playoff rankings prediction
Rank | Team | Why Are They Here | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Texas | SEC Champ | 1 |
2 | Oregon | Big Ten Champ | 9 |
3 | Miami | ACC Champ | 3 |
4 | BYU | Big 12 Champ | 4 |
5 | Ohio State | At Large | 2 |
6 | Iowa State | At Large | NR |
7 | Alabama | At Large | 5 |
8 | Penn State | At Large | 8 |
9 | Georgia | At Large | 6 |
10 | Clemson | At Large | 10 |
11 | Notre Dame | At Large | 12 |
12 | Boise State | At Large | NR |
Perhaps the most surprisingly thing to me about these rankings is that there are two Big 12 teams. But Iowa State and BYU look like they are legit. Both teams could finish inside the Top 12 when all is said and done.
The SEC is also a conference that right now, is a bit of a meat grinder. The teams that looked like Thanos after Week 3 or 4 are looking a bit closer to Gamora these days. Georgia gave up 31 to a bad Mississippi State team. Tennessee got taken to OT by Florida and Alabama was a hare's breath away from losing its second straight game to an unranked team.
The SEC looking beatabel helps the Notre Dame football team. The Big 12 having two legit playoff contenders (who are surprisingly not Utah, Kansas State or Oklahoma State) does not. But there's still a lot of football to be played.