How Notre Dame football can secure the five seed in the College Football Playoffs

Championship weekend kicks off tonight and Notre Dame football fans should be tuned in, as the Irish faithful have their eyes on that five seed. The Irish is currently is the six seed and would play Alabama in South Bend and where that is must watch TV, Notre Dame fans would much rather play a weaker ACC, Big 12 or Group of 5 team in the first two rounds than the powerhouse of Alabama.

The SEC and Big 10 championship games are the two huge matchups this weekend for Irish fans to watch. With a Oregon double digit win and a Texas outright win over Georgia, the Irish will secure the five seed and have a great path to the semifinals. However, if either one of those doesn't happen Irish could stay at the six seed or even fall to seven.

Below is a breakdown of every major conference championship this weekend and a Irish fan cheat sheet to follow in order to secure that five seed.

Penn State vs Oregon

This is one of the games Notre Dame fans need to be glued to. Irish fans should be rooting for the Oregon Ducks to blow out the Penn State Nittany Lions. An Oregon double digit win should bump the Irish ahead of Penn State and get that five seed if Texas can also hold on to Georgia. Notre Dame wants the five seed so they would play a group of five team and a weak Big 12 or ACC winner and then would play Oregon in the semifinals. The last couple weeks many analysts began to compare the Irish to the Nittany Lions, but if Oregon can take care of business, the Irish should jump Penn State with no hesitation. A Penn State competitive loss to Oregon gets trickier though and Penn State would most likely stay in front of the Irish. Some stats to know is James Franklin as the Penn State coach is 1-13 against top 10 teams. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Prediction: Oregon defeats Penn State 31-17

Georgia vs Texas

Notre Dame needs the Texas Longhorns to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs and win the SEC championship. With a Texas win the Irish will secure a spot over Georgia and stay at least at number six. However if Texas was to lose in a close matchup, Texas would lose the bye and would then most likely become the five or six seed depending on the Big 10 championship outcome. Irish fans should be Longhorn fans this weekend so they can obtain that five seed that seems to be the golden seed in these playoffs. The last thing Irish fans want is a Georgia and Penn State win which bumps the Irish to seven and they would probably play Indiana in the first round, and then most likely play Georgia in the second round. However, something to keep in mind is if Georgia was to defeat Texas by three scores and dominate the Longhorns, than a conversation would have to happen if the Irish deserve to be ahead of the Longhorns. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.

Prediction: Georgia defeats Texas 27-17

SMU vs Clemson

This game is opinion base for Irish fans. If SMU was to lose, Clemson would then get the ACC bid and the committee would have to pick between SMU or Alabama for that last spot. Due to SMU weak of schedule and would lose to their two toughest opponents in BYU and Clemson, the committee would most liley favor Alabama because of that win over Georgia. Clemson has won seven of the last nine ACC Championship games and has an opportunity to make it eight of last ten and punch their ticket to the playoffs. Irish fans shouldn’t be too concerned on this game as if SMU wins, they will be the three seed and if Clemson wins they would be the 12 seed. If Irish was to obtain the five seed they most likely would play Clemson, winner of the Big 12 championship or UNLV or in the first round. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

Prediction: Clemson defeats SMU 24-17

Tulane vs Army

The first conference championship game will be Tulane vs Army at a chance to win the AAC. Irish fans should be rooting for the Black Knights to defeat Tulane. Depending on how the SEC and Big 10 championship games go, a win over the AAC champion, which would be an impressive 11-1 Army team, could help the Irish get the higher seed over the losing team from the SEC and Big 10 championship game. An Army win would boost the Irish resume and give Notre Dame a win over a conference champion, but the AAC conference champion doesn’t have the same impact as a win over a Power 4 conference champion. Kickoff will be Friday night at 8 p.m. ET.

Prediction: Tulane defeats Army 35-17

UNLV vs Boise State

UNLV will travel to Boise State and play for the Mountain West championship. Irish fans should root for the upset in this game in hopes that they can climb to the five seed and play UNLV in the first round. UNLV would become the 12 seed and that allows the ACC and Big 12 to get a bye making the second round much easier for Notre Dame.

Prediction: Boise State defeats UNLV 38-31

Iowa State vs Arizona State

While this game won’t impact the Irish and there seeding, it could be a potential first round matchup for Notre Dame. If Texas, Oregon, SMU and Boise State all win, which they are all favored, then Irish have a good chance to move up to be the five seed and play the Big 12 champion. Irish fans should root for Iowa State as the Irish would line up very well against Iowa State as the Cyclones rushing defense is ranked 96. The Cyclones offensive line is also worse then the Sun Devils and Irish defense would be able to provide a lot of pressure on Iowa State. Kickoff will be at noon in AT&T Stadium.

Prediction: Arizona State defeats Iowa State 35-27