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The Notre Dame football team looked good this past weekend as they went on the road and took down #20 Texas A&M in College Station. The Fighting Irish are now ranked #5 in the country, and they have their eyes on the College Football Playoff this season. Saturday was one of their toughest games of the season, and now that they won, former player and coach Rick Neuheisel thinks that Notre Dame will be in.
Making the College Football Playoff this season will be easier than it was in the past as it has expanded to 12 teams. The Fighting Irish are at a bit of a disadvantage, however, because of the fact that they don't have a conference. Because of that, Notre Dame can't get a first-round bye, even if they are undefeated and ranked #1 in the country.
Notre Dame football can't get a bye in the playoff, but Rick Neuheisel does think that they will qualify now that they have beaten Texas A&M.
“I will make a ridiculous referendum right here,” Neuheisel said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show. “Rick's ridiculous referendum there that they're in the playoffs, they're in. That game was so huge for them because they're going to be judged against a bunch of SEC teams at season's end. Had they lost on the road and finished 10-2 it would have been much harder. This victory allows 10-2 to get in. I think that as you look at the schedule 10-2 is an easy number to get to, especially with the way that defense played.”
Not only does Neuheisel have the Fighting Irish getting in, but he also believes that they will get a home game in the first round.
“I also believe the College Football Playoff committee will have them seeded somewhere between five and eight so the Irish get a home game, without question,” Neuheisel continued. “That is made for television gold, listen it’s happening, The Irish are in.”
The home playoff games are another thing that will be new with the format change this year. The playoff is expanded to 12 teams, and the higher-ranked team in first round matchups will host the game. It's going to be a lot of fun.
A look at Notre Dame's schedule
The win on Saturday against Texas A&M was huge for Notre Dame football. The Aggies are a solid team, and Kyle Field is one of the toughest places to play in all of college football. Now that they have that win, the rest of the schedule looks pretty nice.
A matchup with Florida State in November looked like Notre Dame's toughest matchup of the season before the year started, but the Seminoles are now 0-2 with two embarrassing losses as big favorites.
Now, the Fighting Irish have a couple interesting matchups against #22 Louisville and #23 Georgia Tech, but there is a good chance that the Fighting Irish go into their season finale against USC with an 11-0 record. Notre Dame should be favored in every game this season.
Next up for Notre Dame is a home game this week against Northern Illinois. The Fighting Irish and Huskies will kick off at 3:30 ET on Saturday from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. The game will be airing on NBC, and the Fighting Irish are favored by 28.5 points.
