Inside Notre Dame's November College Football Playoff Push

With the College Football Playoff in sight, Notre Dame prepares for a crucial November stretch. See how it aims to secure a top spot.

Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA;Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) carries the ball during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Notre Dame has 4 winnable games left

After enjoying its final in-season break this weekend, Notre Dame is set to embark on a November playoff push.

The Irish have four remaining games, all of which they will likely be favored in, that will determine their playoff fate. If Notre Dame wins out, they are likely safely in the field. With another loss, they will probably miss the cut.

After the break, Notre Dame hosts lowly 1-7 FSU and then 4-4 Virginia on senior day. From there, it's a trip to New York to face the currently undefeated Army in Yankee Stadium before heading cross-country to LA to face the wildly inconsistent USC Trojans. These are three unique tests and four prime opportunities for the Irish to solidify themselves as playoff worthy.

New expanded CFP is a grand experiment with no data

Nobody knows how the CFP committee will navigate an expanded 12-team field. For instance, what will this group value? How will they decipher between one-loss teams with less tough schedules than 2-loss teams with tougher ones? We wait and see.

Making the CFP field is one consideration; seeding once in the field is another aspect of this project altogether. For a team like Notre Dame, which is ineligible for a bye, hosting a first-round game would be a huge benefit compared to a tough road game in an SEC or B10 stadium in a playoff environment.

With so many unknowns this first go around of the 12-team field, the best the Irish can do is win out, be included in the field, and see where the chips fall from there. Buckle up, it's going to be a wild final month of the college football season.

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