Following a convincing win over the USC Trojans, the Notre Dame football team is headed back to the College Football Playoffs despite losing its first two games in the 2025 season.
However, depending on how the Top 25 rankings play out on Sunday afternoon, it's possible that the Irish don't control their own destiny. The biggest reason they might need some help from here on out is because of a disappointing loss by Miami on Friday night.
It feels strange to be angry that Miami lost, but with that defeat to the unranked Louisville Cardinals, things get a bit tougher for Notre Dame and its climb to the playoffs.
Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff path gets murkier after Miami loss
Miami is expected to stay in the Top 10 in part because they were already high, and the loss to the Cards doesn't look that bad when you consider Louisville is the favorite to win the ACC at this point. While Notre Dame should move up, it's unlikely they'll jump the Hurricanes and that's where things get tricky.
The 'Canes could win out and still not make the ACC championship game, considering that they don't play either Virginia or Georgia Tech, who are currently 1 and 2 in the conference. Should Miami win out and someone else wins the conference, the ACC almost certainly gets two bids.
One of those bids could take Notre Dame's bid away from them, even if they finish the year in or near the Top 10. It's a weird situation where the Irish now find themselves both regretting how the 'Canes played on Friday and now absolutely rooting for them to lose at least one more game, if not more.
Such is the problem with Notre Dame losing its first two games of the season. The rest of the season will absolutely be an edge-of-the-seat thriller.