All it took was unexpected parity — let’s call it ‘luck of the Irish’ — along with elite-level execution on Saturday for Notre Dame to hop right back in the College Football Playoff conversation amid ACC and Big 12 chaos in Week 5.
The morning after Virginia tripped up eighth-ranked Florida State in double overtime and Arizona State held off previously unbeaten TCU, unbeaten Georgia Tech trailed by 17 points early at Wake Forest while Notre Dame was handling its business by halftime amid a destruction of Arkansas.
This was the ideal setup for Marcus Freeman’s team, whose season trajectory has significantly changed with the ACC and Big 12 now facing playoff uncertainty for secondary options behind Miami and Texas Tech.
With playoff hopes fading following the Irish’s 0-2 start, Notre Dame recovered over the last two weekends to even its record and now has a realistic shot at finishing 10-2 — a magic number of sorts toward receiving at at-large bid.
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After Freeman guaranteed his team would “play for one another” during a pregame appearance on “College GameDay,” Notre Dame managed 420 total yards by intermission and scoring touchdowns on all six first-half possessions after pounding the Razorbacks into submission early in front of a capacity crowd on the road.
This is what a preseason top 10, Jeremiyah Love-led Irish squad was supposed to look like before narrow losses to Miami and Texas A&M nearly pushed Notre Dame outside of the national rankings earlier this month.
“Yeah, I think, I mean, we’re all human,” Freeman said Saturday, acknowledging postseason talk in the locker room. “They know what the future holds, but the challenge is to continue to focus on what’s right in front of you, and that’s what we’re guaranteed is this opportunity. And how do you take advantage of the opportunity with this play?
“And I know that’s coaches’ talk, but it’s real, like you have to focus on the present. Have to focus on this opportunity that is right in front of you and let the rest take care of itself.”
ACC’s ranked failures leave door open
At the start of Week 5, CBS Sports projected the ACC with three playoff selections — Miami, Florida State and Georgia Tech — at season’s end with the caveat all would finish with one loss or fewer during the regular season entering conference championship weekend. However, with the Seminoles proving not to be upset-proof and the Yellow Jackets struggling on the road, that theory’s been nuked.
And here’s why that matters for the Irish: During the first year of playoff expansion last season, five multi-loss teams were voted in as non-conference champions, and all of those entries managed at least one regular-season win over a ranked opponent to help boost respective resumes. After 22nd-ranked USC’s stunning loss Illinois, the Irish may not have a chance to play a ranked opponent the rest of the way.
Vying for one of seven at-large spots in the bracket since five auto-bid conference champions will assume nearly half of the total seeds, Notre Dame hosts the Trojans on Oct. 18, and unless USC beats Michigan next month, the Irish will have to find a ranked win somewhere else.
That said, if Notre Dame’s offense under Love and C.J. Carr’s guidance plays as well as it has in recent weeks, and the defense improves moving forward, this could be a dangerous team down the stretch. With 10 wins, Notre Dame would be a bid-stealer of sorts against the ACC or Big 12 runner-up if records and resumes are comparable.
Notre Dame’s remaining schedule
The Irish will be favored in their remaining eight games with the only opportunities of playing a ranked opponent coming on Oct. 11 against NC State (3-1), if the Wolfpack win their next two games, USC (4-1) and Navy (3-0).
For Freeman, the mentality and message to his players is simple as the season progresses — just keep winning week to week. Notre Dame followed that track to a playoff appearance last fall after suffering that memorable early loss to Northern Illinois before posting a hot streak that stretched over several months en route to a berth in the national championship the game.
This team has two losses, but there’s enough parity already in other Power Four conferences nearing midseason that Notre Dame will be attractive to the selection committee as long as the Irish win out.
And if Saturday’s team that housed Arkansas shows up every weekend the rest of the way, Notre Dame will find a spot inside the final bracket.
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