Despite the College Football Playoff Committee not being all that impressed by what it saw from Notre Dame before Saturday, the Fighting Irish's win over Miami gave them a major boost, moving them from No. 11 last week to No. 5 this week.
The Irish got a six-spot bump for their win over the Hurricanes, while Miami apparently didn’t impress the committee much, as the Hurricanes dropped all the way to No. 7 in this week’s poll. That likely drew a fair amount of vitriol from Miami fans, whose team was ranked behind the Irish for much of the CFP ranking releases last season despite winning the head-to-head game in 2025.
Notre Dame football jumps six spots after Miami win and enters CFP Top 4 conversation
So what does this mean for Notre Dame moving forward? Win, and the Fighting Irish are in. Whether or not they can get to the point where they get a first-round bye is questionable. However, if they take care of business against an SMU team that was welcomed back to the AP Top 25 this week, as well as two teams they should be able to dominate—Boston College this weekend and Syracuse in the final weekend of the season—there is a chance they could get inside that Top 4 should someone like UCLA get upset over the next few weeks.
The Bruins, at the moment, look like the No. 4 seed thanks to a 9-0 record so far; they're the most likely paper tiger. With games against Illinois, Michigan, and USC still on the schedule, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they could finish 9-3. Even if UCLA finishes 11-1 and the Irish do the same, it feels like Notre Dame would get a chance to jump into the Top 4.
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