Notre Dame received bad holiday tidings Tuesday from the College Football Playoff selection committee.
Advertisement
With the final rankings coming out in two weeks, teams are starting to really lobby for a spot in the top four in the final week of the regular season and even next week during conference title week.
Last season, Texas Christian was third in the second-to-last playoff rankings and slipped to sixth in the final rankings, behind Ohio State and Baylor.
Iowa was ranked fourth, followed by Michigan State, Notre Dame, Baylor, Ohio State, Stanford and Michigan.
Next, Oklahoma is in if they are the Big 12 Champion by winning against Oklahoma State. Should Michigan State win against Penn State, their Big Ten Championship match-up against Iowa will basically be a play-in for the College Football Playoff.
Clemson and Alabama are in the playoff if each win out, and you figure whoever survives the Big Ten Championship game is secured a spot.
The final rankings will be revealed at 9 a.m. PST Dec. 6 on ESPN. 10-1 | at Stanford on 11/28The Irish nearly lost to Boston College at Fenway, and now they have a make-or-break game at Stanford.Good luck with Christian McCaffrey. And they certainly have the best loss, to No. 1 Clemson, of anybody in play for a playoff spot.
Paul Rhoads is out after seven seasons as coach at Iowa State.
Note to the Irish: Now would be a good time to break out a 2014 Ohio State whipping over Wisconsin as a last impression.
The Irish will be without cornerback KeiVarae Russell, their leading tackler, who will miss the remainder of the season with a broken leg. Russell’s injury occurred when he hit BC running back Tyler Rouse hard in the game’s waning moments. There is a chance they could at least get the committee thinking with a win at home over Oklahoma this week to close the regular season, but more likely it would just create a logjam in the Big 12 that could keep the conference out of the playoffs again. Losses by Ohio State, Baylor and Oklahoma are musts. Notre Dame’s only blemish is a slim 2-point loss to the number one team in the nation.
Michigan State made a statement to the rest of the country Saturday with its road victory over the defending champion Buckeyes.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said Tuesday his team’s resume speaks for itself.
The league left out of last year’s playoff, and one without a championship game, still has three teams – Oklahoma (No. 5 AP), Baylor (No. 7 AP) and Oklahoma State (No. 9 AP) – alive in the championship chase. As for the other three on that list, no one can assure a playoff spot – though they sure could lose one if they’re not tidy. Both teams have two games remaining, including their conference title games. Michigan (CFP: No. 10) 12. If Notre Dame wins, beating Stanford is slightly less impressive given that the fifth-best Big Ten also beat Stanford. OR 18. MS 19.
Alabama plays at Auburn, Florida State is at Florida, and the Big 12 Conference offers Baylor at TCU as well as Oklahoma at Oklahoma State.
Advertisement
“They have performed at a high level since then, so they’ve overcome that loss with their play on the field and the success they’ve had and the wins they’ve accumulated, with now six wins over teams with”.
