Notre Dame has lost all leverage over ideal spot in College Football Playoff

With the early season win over Texas A&M, Notre Dame had a head start on a great playoff spot, perhaps even the coveted fifth spot, which would have meant a home game in South Bend and the “easiest” draw in terms of head-to-head matches.

That leverage lasted a week. Now Notre Dame can’t lose again to guarantee play-off participation.

Could the Irish take the field at 10-2? It’s possible, but not certain, and would also mean a very unpleasant away game environment in Round 1 and tougher bracket matchups throughout. It’s a tough road for the Irish and one they’d rather avoid.

Can Notre Dame run the rest of the table? How about a 10-2 record?

I know Notre Dame fans aren’t in the mood for this because they find it unlikely after today’s performance, but the Irish could dominate the table from here on out. Assuming they do, or even go 10-2, how will the committee view this loss? There’s no evidence to consider yet. This is new territory.

Could the person this loss was against and the circumstances surrounding it affect Notre Dame’s seeding in a major way? Perhaps take away the possibility of 5th place at 11-1?

Could this loss keep a 10-2 Irish team out of the playoffs versus a Big 10 or SEC team with the same record but less horrific losses? It all depends. A lot of moving factors, some within Notre Dame’s control and some not.

This loss stings now, Notre Dame fans hope it won’t sting them again at the end of the season. But more than that, they hope they’ve already solved this problem by limiting losses the rest of the way.

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