Notre Dame Football: Home Playoff Game Still Well Within Reach

For Notre Dame fans that thought the dream was over after the Northern Illinois loss, think again

Nov 19, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Members of the Notre Dame Marching Band make snow angels following the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Boston College Eagles at Notre Dame Stadium. / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Notre Dame football has had a roller coaster ride through the first six weeks of the college football season in 2024.

It has seen the high of beating Texas A&M on the road (a win that looks better by the day) and the low of losing at home to Northern Illinois a week later.

After that Northern Illinois loss it seemed like the College Football Playoff was out of the picture, but after an absolutely wild Week 6 of the college football calendar, Notre Dame is back in position to play a home game in the Playoff. Let's go over the steps.

Notre Dame Football Must Win Out

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates scoring a touchdown during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, if this is going to happen - if Notre Dame is to host a playoff game this December, it absolutely must win the remainder of its seven games.

A quick reminder of that remaining schedule:

Oct. 12: vs. Stanford
Oct. 19: at Georgia Tech
Oct. 26: vs. Navy (Meadowlands, NJ)
Nov. 9: vs. Florida State
Nov. 16: vs. Virginia
Nov. 23: vs. Army (Bronx, NY)
Nov. 30: at USC

When you lose to Northern Illinois you obviously show that any game is one you're able to possibly lose. However, when you go on the road and beat Texas A&M, it also shows that each one of these remaining games should see Notre Dame be favored in.

Texas A&M Makes SEC Championship Game

Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Howard Cross III (56) tackles Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman (15) at Kyle Field. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

After Notre Dame beat Texas A&M on Aug. 31 it would have been difficult to find anyone that would have thought the Aggies would possibly be playing in the SEC Championship game.

Newsflash: That is an incredibly realistic possibility.

Five weeks after losing the season-opener to Notre Dame, Texas A&M sits 5-1 overall and 2-0 in SEC play. It's remaining schedule after enjoying this off week?

Oct. 19: at Mississippi State
Oct. 26: vs. No. 13 LSU
Nov. 2: at South Carolina
Nov. 16: vs. New Mexico State
Nov. 23: at Auburn
Nov. 30: vs. No. 1 Texas

Don't get it wrong, that's no cakewalk. However, considering it already has two SEC wins to its name Texas A&M is sitting very pretty with that remaining. Especially when you consider how many times the likes of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss cross each others paths the remainder of this regular season - with all of them already having one conference loss. (more on that to come).

Army and Navy Keep on Winning

Oct 5, 2024; Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA; Army Black Knights head coach Jeff Monken celebrates with his players after a win against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Notre Dame faces both Army and Navy this season in games that were, as usual, laughed at by much of the nation ahead of the year. Well, we sit here as I write this on October 7 and for the first time since 1945, both Army and Navy have started 5-0.

I don't think Notre Dame needs both Army and Navy to be undefeated when they meet, but beating a pair of potential 10-win teams in both would be huge for the resume, even if the games aren't seen as being major in some regards. Notre Dame getting wins over a pair of teams threatening to make the College Football Playoff as Group of Five teams would help significantly.

USC Gets Back on Track

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

After losing at Minnesota this past week its hard to wonder just how good USC is. What Notre Dame needs the Trojans to do is get back on track and not lose another mind-scratcher like it did this past week at Minnesota.

Can USC pull an upset against No. 4 Penn State this coming weekend in Los Angeles?

That isn't necessary for Notre Dame to get credit for a potential huge win at USC at the end of November. It would go a long way in resume building if Notre Dame could beat an ultimately 8-4 Trojans team instead of a possible 7-5 or 6-6 squad if things go south for the Trojans.

USC Remaining Schedule:
Oct. 12: vs. No. 4 Penn State
Oct. 19: at Maryland
Oct. 25: vs. Rutgers
Nov. 2: at Washington
Nov. 16: vs. Nebraska
Nov. 23: vs. UCLA
Nov. 30: vs. Notre Dame

SEC Football Cannibalization

Exuberant fans ride the south goal post in the end zone after beating No. 1 Alabama 40-35 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The SEC is going to cannibalize itself but the question is just how much will it do so?

Of the 16 conference schools, all but Texas, Texas A&M, and LSU have already recorded a conference loss. Just how many will some of them end up with?

Alabama has to still go to Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma.

Georgia has to travel to both Texas and Ole Miss and host Tennessee.

LSU has landmines all over the next month as it takes on Ole Miss Saturday before traveling to Arkansas and Texas A&M the two weeks after that. Oh, and it hosts Alabama on Nov. 9.

Ole Miss has to go to LSU and Arkansas while also hosting Oklahoma and Georgia still.

Tennessee has to play Alabama and travel to Georgia, not to mention take on a pesky Kentucky squad on Nov. 2.

Texas sits unbeaten but has Oklahoma, Georgia, a trip to Arkansas, a date against Kentucky, and a trip to Texas A&M all remaining.

Texas A&M we already went over above.

If you're Notre Dame, hope for this conference to eat itself up as the season goes on, and if things start falling the right way, it'll only be a matter of a few weeks until a home playoff game again looks realistic for the Fighting Irish.

That is, assuming Notre Dame doesn't hit another land mine before the trip to USC.

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