Notre Dame Fans Debate the Irish's Playoff Path Through the Bracket

Was Notre Dame dealt a fair hand in the College Football Playoff bracket?

Indiana's Kurtis Rourke (9) runs during the Indiana versus Purdue football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Many Irish fans feel that the 7 seed is fair for Notre Dame

Unsurprisingly, Irish fans were fired up on Monday morning's version of the Always Irish radio show.

This is all new territory. Nothing being debated now has ever been debated before. College football history is being made, and everyone is reacting to everything in real-time with no historical context to frame anything. These are wild times, folks.

As for Notre Dame specifically, many callers feel that the NIU loss has been justifiably used against the Irish, resulting in them landing in the seventh seed rather than the five or six slots over the losers of conference title games. Many feel that this placement is the proper Notre Dame tax given its independence and bad loss.

Some Irish fans feel that the committee did Notre Dame wrong when it mattered most

Many Irish fans feel that Notre Dame's eventual record of 11-1, even including the brutal NIU loss, was deserving enough for a five or six seed given that both Penn State and Texas acquired losses on Championship Saturday.

As it turned out, the committee did not issue harsh penalties to either the Nittany Lions or Longhorns for their defeats, but they were already set in stone - sort of - in the penultimate rankngs and weren't going to drop.

Notre Dame's 11-1 record ending in the seventh seed makes me wonder a couple of things. First, would this result be any different if the Irish's loss wasn't to NIU? (Maybe, but it depends on who that loss was to.)

And secondly, where would a 12-0 Irish team fall? Regardless of SOS would this be good enough to secure Notre Dame the five seed? (Yes.)

But this is it. Notre Dame is in the tournament, Alabama, Ole Miss, Miami, BYU, South Carolina, USC, Florida State ... are not.

It's in it. Go win it.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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