The penultimate set of College Football Playoff rankings was released ahead of conference championship weekend and featured Notre Dame coming in lower at No. 10. The CFP selection show will follow those games Sunday at noon on ESPN.
The top five spots looked a little different after Texas A&M suffered its first loss of the season to Texas, dropping the team from No. 3 to No. 7. With this result, Oregon joined the top five in the No. 5 spot.
Ole Miss also surpassed the Aggies, rising to the No. 6 spot. The Rebels will be relieved to retain their ranking after now ex-coach Lane Kiffin announced his departure for LSU. Athletic director Keith Carter turned to defensive coordinator Pete Golding to fill Kiffin’s role as the interim head coach for the playoff run. The uncertainty will undoubtedly pose a challenge for an Ole Miss team losing not only their head coach, but entire offensive staff as well.
Let’s focus on the highly anticipated question of the week: Where will Notre Dame sit? The Irish fell to the No. 10 spot with Alabama taking over at No. 9. The Crimson Tide won the Iron Bowl last Saturday, overcoming Auburn 27-20 on the road. A victory in the historic rivalry matchup served as their case for moving up a spot. It proved to be more compelling to the committee than Notre Dame’s domination over Stanford in Palo Alto.
BYU and Miami round out the top 12 at the No. 11 and No. 12 spots, respectively. Texas and Vanderbilt were left on the outside looking in at No. 13 and No. 14.
So what does this ranking, along with the upcoming conference championship games, mean for Notre Dame’s chance at a playoff berth? There are a lot of factors to consider. For starters, the SEC Championship may or may not affect Notre Dame. If Georgia wins the rematch with Alabama convincingly, the Irish may retake the No. 9 spot. However, a close loss should keep them behind the Crimson Tide, since conference championship losses are not supposed to hurt a team. An Alabama win creates movement above, but leaves Notre Dame unaffected, as both SEC contenders will stay above the Irish. So while the outcome of the SEC Championship will not make or break Notre Dame’s playoff chances, an Alabama loss could be beneficial for the Irish.
Notre Dame’s bigger worry is BYU. If the Cougars defeat Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship, they would replace the Irish, almost surely eliminating them from contention. While a BYU loss would seem to punch Notre Dame’s ticket to the postseason, it may not be that simple.
The debate between Notre Dame and Miami has raged on since the Irish jumped the Hurricanes, despite losing to them head-to-head in week one. Notre Dame’s only other loss was by a point to Texas A&M a week later. Miami’s two losses came later: 24-21 to Louisville and 26-20 to SMU in overtime.
The Irish have passed the eye test, following their 0-2 start with a 10-game win streak. While that has kept them above their rivals thus far, the committee did not rule out the possibility of a closer comparison next week. If a BYU loss leaves Miami and Notre Dame next to one another at No. 11 and No. 10, it is not out of the realm of possibilities for the Irish to get jumped by the team that handed them a loss.
If the brackets were set by tonight’s rankings, Notre Dame would be up for a rematch with the Aggies in College Station. After the devastating loss in South Bend, the Irish would surely be hungry for an attempt at revenge.
With the nightmare start tainting a flawed resume, the Irish would be relieved to get a spot in the 12-team field. If they get one, though, they would have as good a chance as anyone to win a national championship. For now, Irish fans must wait in anticipation, hoping the results fall in their favor.
