Notre Dame's College Football Playoff Path Changes After Upset to NIU

What the Northern Illinois loss changes for Notre Dame's playoff hopes

Notre Dame defensive lineman R.J. Oben tackles Northern Illinois running back Antario Brown during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Northern Illinois at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in South Bend. / Michael Clubb / USA TODAY NETWORK

Notre Dame has lost all leverage for ideal College Football Playoff spot

With the early season win over Texas A&M, Notre Dame had inside leverage on a terrific playoff seed, maybe even the coveted 5-seed which would carry with it a home game in South Bend and the "easiest" draw in terms of matchups as well.

That leverage lasted one week. Now, Notre Dame must not lose again to guarantee playoff entry.

Could the Irish make the field at 10-2? It's possible, but not a sure thing, and would also entail a very nasty road game environment in round 1 and tougher bracket matchups throughout. This is a tough road to navigate for the Irish and one they'd prefer to avoid.

An incredible coaching job today by COACH THOMAS HAMMOCK of NORTHERN ILLINOIS - he had his team believing they could beat Notre Dame . Coach Hammock would never let them be intimidated by playing at the Golden Dome . Stock up baby for Coach Hammock & the Huskies . A devastating…

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) September 7, 2024

Can Notre Dame run the table the rest of the way? What about a 10-2 record?

I know Notre Dame fans aren't in the mood to hear this because they feel it's unlikely after today's performance, but the Irish could run the table from here on out. Say they do that, or even end up 10-2, how will the committee view this loss? There's no evidence yet to consider. This is new territory.

Could who this loss was to and the circumstances around it affect Notre Dame's seeding in a major way? Perhaps take away the possibility of the 5 seed at 11-1?

Could this loss keep a 10-2 Irish team out of the playoff when compared to a Big 10 or SEC team with the same record but less awful losses? That all depends. On a lot of moving factors some within Notre Dame's control and some not.

This loss stings now, Notre Dame fans hope it won't come back around to sting them again at the end of the season. More than that though, they hope they have this problem to begin with by limiting losses the rest of the way.

Notre Dame Football Fans, Really, Everything Is Fine After NIU Faceplant Loss (Maybe)

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