3 outcomes Notre Dame fans should be rooting for in their quest for the 5th seed in the College Football Playoffs
In the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, Notre Dame came in at No. 6, up two spots from the previous week. If the season ended today, that would actually put the Fighting Irish into the No. 8 slot, and would make for a first round matchup against Alabama. There is still time for Notre […]
In the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, Notre Dame came in at No. 6, up two spots from the previous week. If the season ended today, that would actually put the Fighting Irish into the No. 8 slot, and would make for a first round matchup against Alabama.
There is still time for Notre Dame to continue their push up the rankings, and their quest to the No. 5 seed is still very much in play. With only a couple of weeks left, the Irish do need a couple of things to fall their way. Here is what Notre Dame fans should be hoping for down the stretch of the regular season.
Win out and jump Penn State
There are going to be a lot of people who will downplay Notre Dame playing Army this weekend, but what the committee thinks matters a lot more. The Black Knight are currently ranked at No. 19 in the latest College Football Playoff ranking, and having a top 20 win potentially down the stretch is huge for the Irish, especially considering they don’t have a conference championship opportunity. It should help a lot with finalizing their playoff resume.
When you compare it to Penn State, who currently sits at No. 4 on the ranking, it’s a much tougher ending to the season. The Nittany Lions have games remaining against Minnesota and Maryland, neither of which is much of a resume building. If Notre Dame takes care of business, and does so in impressive fashion, it’s very possible that they could jump Penn State. They are also in a position where they won’t have a Big Ten championship game to potentially strengthen themselves during that final weekend.
Root for Ohio State against Indiana
Indiana beating Ohio State this weekend is the worst possible outcome for Notre Dame. If the Hoosiers are able to win, the Big Ten blockade in front of the Irish. There is no guarantee that it would drop the Buckeyes below the Irish, so neither would be overly helpful to Notre Dame. If Indiana loses, it will be almost impossible for them to stay in front of the Irish. The Hoosiers also won’t have an ending of the season that could build them back, with Ohio State being the only top opponent on their schedule.
Root for Oregon against Ohio State
If Indiana does lose to Ohio State, then we are going to see a rematch between the Buckeyes and Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game. If Oregon is able to once again beat Ohio State, then it could make things very interesting. That would be the second loss for the Buckeyes, and would make for a strong argument that they should be lower than Notre Dame. If the Ducks lose, then both will undoubtedly be above the Irish in the end, and the blockade would hold strong.
