Why Notre Dame Belongs At No. 10

To the backlash of the Irish faithful, Notre Dame placed at No. 10 on the inaugural College Football Playoff Rankings released by the committee on Tuesday night. Their ranking has been the only real “gripe” of the list, but to their fan’s dismay the ranking is spot on.

The argument that has been the loudest in the early stages is: “Well Notre Dame only has one loss and they almost beat No. 2 Florida State!” Sadly, despite that controversial call, “almost” wins don’t mean much. If they did, we take “almost” losses into consideration as well – looking directly at Notre Dame’s 50-43 victory at home against the North Carolina Tarheels.

A quick look at Notre Dame’s schedule yields why their ranking may be so low. They have zero wins over any team currently in the Top-25. In fact, Stanford (5-3) and C-USA power Rice (4-3) are the only teams the Irish have beaten that boasts a record above .500. The pair of 16 point wins over Purdue and Syracuse leave a bit to be desired as well.

Let’s take a look at the teams that ND is being compared to: TCU, Michigan State, Kansas State who are seven, eight and nine, respectively.

TCU’s only blemish on the schedule was a heart-breaker against Baylor. They currently hold victories over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, and their lowest margin of victory of a team outside the Top-25 is 23 points, a 30-7 victory earlier in the year against Minnesota. The Horned Frogs have the most prolific offense in the country, putting up over 50 points a contest.

Michigan State’s sole loss came at the hands of another comparable team, Oregon. Sparty’s schedule is arguably even easier than Notre Dame’s, but the line may be separated with their 27-22 win over then No. 19 and currently No. 17 Nebraska. Their 25+ average margin of victory may also be appealing, while Notre Dame’s is 14. They also beat Purdue by 16, so that doesn’t help much. Their game against Ohio State on Saturday should be relatively telling.

Kansas State’s only defeat was a six point loss to Auburn earlier in the season. Their best win was on the road at No. 18 Oklahoma. With that said, they still have to face Oklahoma State, TCU, Baylor, and West Virginia, which will give them a chance to make or break their playoff hopes.

The top of the Ten:

6: Oregon – Two key wins, Michigan State and now No. 22 UCLA on the road. Only loss came to No. 12 Arizona. They currently have the fifth best offense in country, averaging 45.5 points a game.

5: Alabama – Only loss was to Ole Miss on the road. The Tide have been hyped up by the recent blowouts over Texas A&M and Tennessee, but really haven’t beaten an abundance of quality teams. A neutral site victory over No. 20 West Virginia looks nice. However, with LSU looming and a future date with Auburn, they will have the chance to prove it.

4: Ole Miss – The team with the nation’s best defense took their first loss in Death Valley last weekend. Their win against Alabama is the reason the Rebels are ahead of the Tide. Outside of the Top-25, no team has come within three touchdowns of the Rebels. A matchup against Auburn and interesting road games at Arkansas and Mississippi State loom on the horizon.

3: Auburn – Auburn’s one loss came at the hands of Mississippi State on the road. A win against Kansas State and a blowout win against LSU are two big resume builders for the Tigers, who will look to add to that resume in Oxford this weekend. To this point, the Tigers have handled business, but this season is still far from over.

2: Florida State – All you can do as a team is find a way to beat the opponents on your schedule. To this point, that is what the Noles have done. Clemson is a decent win, as is Notre Dame, despite the controversy.  Their last true test of the season will be against No. 25 Louisville this Thursday night.  FSU is almost a shoe-in to make the playoffs and it would be a “crime” to leave them out. Get it?

1: Mississippi State – The Bulldogs don’t seem to be letting up. I look at this team that beat UAB and Kentucky by two touchdowns and think, how is this possible? That said, behind Heisman front-runner Dak Prescott, things are rocking in Stark-vegas. Their victories against LSU on the road and Auburn at home are significant. Dan Mullen and crew will have a chance for two more on the road against Ole Miss and Alabama in the last four weeks.

Some notes of encouragement for Irish fans: Alabama still has to face LSU, Auburn, and Mississippi State. Ole Miss plays Auburn this weekend and the Egg Bowl the last weekend of the season. TCU also plays Kansas State in a few weeks.

November 8th and 29th will be huge dates for Notre Dame as they will take on Arizona State and USC. If they can win both of those contests, it could provide some quality to the playoff resume for Brian Kelly’s team.

As you can see, teams above will beat themselves up, especially in the SEC West. If no one else falters, Notre Dame may be left without a dance partner as the playoff DJ starts playing the last slow jam. Conversely, Notre Dame’s path to the Rose Bowl or Sugar Bowl is still paved with Gold as long as they take care of business on their end. Don’t be discouraged by the No. 10 ranking, even if it is where they deserve to be. Things are going to shake up more than Taylor Swift’s new album in the next few weeks.

 

*Section Photo credit to Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Charles LeClaire, USA Today Sports. 

Todd Gurley Must Sit Out 2 More Games
Todd Gurley Must Sit Out 2 More Games