Notre Dame's spot on the 'anger index' raises eyebrows ahead of regular season finale

While the Notre Dame football team is almost certainly more focused on its game against USC than it is where it sits in the playoff field right now, that’s why the rest of us are here. We’re the ones who get to complain about such things while the team prepares to show, once again, just how good it is.

For those of us not directly involved in the game, we can be angry or annoyed about how the postseason looks to shape out, assuming the Fighting Irish win. ESPN’s David Hale has helpfully told us how angry the program should be.

According to Hale, Notre Dame football is currently No. 5 on the CFP Anger Index. And he makes it clear that there isn’t a ton to be angry about, though there are definite gripes. Some of those have already been spelled out by us, when it comes to Penn State being ahead of them.

Notre Dame football on the Anger Index

“Here's the problem: They're outflanked by three Big Ten teams and narrowly ahead of perhaps the most intimidating team in the country in Georgia. And because the first four spots have to go to conference champions, we could be looking at a final ranking that looks something like this: Oregon, Georgia, ACC champion and Big 12 or Group of 5 champion get the byes, with Ohio State, Texas and Penn State next in the pecking order.”

Hale made it clear that the anger would stem from not hosting a playoff game.

“The odds are still long that the Irish would be pushed beyond the top eight, but stranger things have happened. And it really shouldn't be a topic for debate. Notre Dame has six wins vs. opponents that are currently 7-4 or better -- the most of any team in the country -- and is riding a nine-game winning streak in which it outscored the opposition by an average of 33 points.”

He’s not wrong. Should Notre Dame football somehow not host a playoff game, there would be plenty to be angry about. We’ll see how things play out in a few days.