Why the College Football Playoff Committee May Struggle to Properly Rank Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s unique schedule and conference status pose ranking challenges for the College Football Playoff committee. Here’s why.

Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jordan Faison (6) gains yards after catch during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Notre Dame has had such a wide range of outcomes

As college football fans look forward to the initial CFP rankings that will be unveiled next Tuesday, there's national intrigue about how Notre Dame will be perceived.

Sure, Notre Dame is on a 6-game winning streak and at 7-1 are sporting Marcus Freeman's best record at this point in any season since becoming the head man in South Bend, but what are the realities of this team?

Notre Dame has one of the best wins in America on the road by double digits against a quickly rising Texas A&M team that currently sits alone atop the SEC standings. But, Notre Dame also owns one of the country's worst losses coming at the hands of 4-4 Northern Illinois in South Bend. How the CFP committee navigates these 2 wildly varying outcomes will be very interesting indeed.

How much will the CFP committee hold Notre Dame’s loss to NIU against them in the initial rankings?

"Notre Dame fans don't want to hear this, but I am telling you there will be people in that room on Tuesday that point out that NIU loss." @CFBHeather

(via @GoJoandGolic) pic.twitter.com/IQEx7eoyIX

— DraftKings Network (@DKNetwork) November 1, 2024

Notre Dame's independence will always be a part of the equation

Aside from the wild nature of the first 2 weeks of the Irish season which featured the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows, the CFP committee will also need to navigate Notre Dame's independent status. This is no small task.

The Irish are an independent. How the committee, largely comprised of conference-affiliated folks choose to compare the Irish's schedule and results to that of the Power 4 teams will matter greatly in terms of Notre Dame's playoff standing and seeding. Right now there are nothing but questions about the new CFP, starting Tuesday, some answers will start to be revealed.

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