Notre Dame football still has ideal College Football Playoff path in front of them despite pushback on a recent CFB rankings decision
Notre Dame football might have just stumbled into the perfect CFB Playoff path.
Head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football are in a very interesting spot when it comes to the College Football Playoffs right now. Sitting at No. 10 in the latest rankings, the Fighting Irish would be in if the season ended today. They did move down one spot from the previous week, however, following Alabama’s dominant (sarcasm) performance over a 5-7 Auburn Tigers team with an interim head coach.
Most of the playoff conversation will center around the frustrations surrounding the Alabama jump, waiting patiently to see if you can hold off BYU, which is playing Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship this weekend, and if the committee does have second thoughts about the sequencing of Notre Dame and Miami. All are legitimate concerns, although some are more than others. For now, Notre Dame fans around the country will be watching intently this weekend to make sure things go as smoothly as possible.
While there was a lot of negativity on Tuesday night, the No. 10 spot actually doesn’t feel all that bad for the Irish. In fact, it may be the best possible path for the Irish if it ended this way. Things are going to change during championship weekend, but there is a legitimate argument that Notre Dame finishing at No. 10 would be even better for their best possible path to another deep playoff run.
A Notre Dame rematch
Arguably the most frustrating outcome this season was Notre Dame’s second game matchup against Texas A&M, a one-point loss in the final minute of the contest. Call it petty if you’d like, but I would love to get a second crack at the Aggies. They made the biggest plays in the most crucial moments during that first matchup, but the Irish are a much better team than they were back then, especially on defense. Getting a rematch against Mike Elko would be nice, even if they would have to travel down to College Station.
Ideal second round matchup
If Notre Dame were able to win that first round matchup against Texas A&M, they would have a playoff rematch with the Indiana Hoosiers. The Fighting Irish won last year’s matchup convincingly, but Curt Cignetti’s team has improved quite a bit. In order for the Irish to eventually become the power of the Midwest, they would obviously have to be the top program in the Hoosier State. Having an opportunity to show Indiana that they are still the class of the state would be a great statement on the way toward a deep playoff run.
Avoid Ohio State… for now
At some point, Notre Dame is going to have to show that it can beat head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. With a redshirt freshman quarterback in CJ Carr, however, it might be nice to get him a couple of playoff games under his belt before taking on that challenge. This is still a younger Notre Dame team in some areas, so you can’t fake experience. Avoiding them in the first two rounds could go a long way to figuring out how to beat them in the end.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish News
Notre Dame’s rooting interest took an ironic turn following the latest controversial College Football Playoff rankings release
Notre Dame football is going to be rooting for a very unlikely program this weekend.
