Irish Breakdown

Get Ready for Notre Dame to Host Epic Home College Football Playoff Game

Things continue to fall right for the Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff

Nick Shepkowski

Notre Dame linebacker Jaylen Sneed (3) and linebacker Jack Kiser (24) celebrate getting a stop during a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend.
Notre Dame linebacker Jaylen Sneed (3) and linebacker Jack Kiser (24) celebrate getting a stop during a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The second College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday night, and these came back extremely favorable for Notre Dame.

The 8-1 Fighting Irish moved up to No. 8 in the standings and the path to Notre Dame hosting a playoff game this December appears crystal clear.

Notre Dame the Current Nine-Seed Despite Being Ranked Eighth

With how the College Football Playoff goes, the top four seeds automatically go to the four highest ranked conference champions. The way the rankings fell in the second edition had Notre Dame in the top eight overall, but Miami being the fourth-highest rated conference champion moved the Hurricanes to the four-seed.

As a result, the bracket based on current rankings would have Notre Dame as the No. 9 seed heading to Knoxville to take on No. 8 Tennessee.

Notre Dame's Path to a Home Game Appears Clear

It would appear that Notre Dame's path to hosting a College Football Playoff game in Round One is pretty clear.

The eighth ranked Irish need to move up two spots essentially from where they are right now. It just so happens No. 7 Tennessee and No. 5 Indiana have extremely difficult road games coming up as they travel to Georgia and Ohio State respectively.

There are chances for SEC teams currently behind Notre Dame to earn another marquee victory but would they be enough to surpass Notre Dame? That's something only the committee knows the answer to, and that doesn't mean the committee even has that answer yet.

Notre Dame's Dream Scenario in College Football Playoff

The ideal way this plays out for Notre Dame is if the Fighting Irish can move into the top-six seeds.

A simple look at the above bracket shows how much easier it is to project a deep run in the College Football Playoff for Notre Dame if it is to play in the No. 6 vs. No. 11 game or the No. 5 vs. No. 12 game.

Getting Miami or BYU in the second round instead of playing Oregon, Ohio State, or perhaps Texas is the difference between night and day.

And with the way there appears to be no one or two truly dominant teams this college football season?

Things could be setting up nicely for what could be a December (and January) to remember for a long time for Notre Dame.

Reminder: Notre Dame Still Has to Finish its Own Business

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman with his team after dominating Florida State
Nov 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman stands with his players for the Notre Dame Alma Mater after defeating the Florida State Seminoles at Notre Dame Stadium. / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

It should go without mentioning but just in case it doesn't, let me remind you that Notre Dame still has plenty of its own work to take care of.

Virginia shouldn't create many problems this week but the trickiness of playing Army in New York next week and traveling to Southern California the following to take on USC is no small task.

Even Brian Kelly, who had the fortune of coaching against a down USC program for most of a decade, managed to go just 3-2 in Los Angeles.

Forget a home playoff game, for Notre Dame to simply make the 12-team dance, winning out remains an absolute must, simply because of how bad the Northern Illinois loss was.

More from Notre Dame on Sports Illustrated

Notre Dame Updates Depth Chart Following Significant Injury for Virginia Game

More Night Games at Notre Dame Stadium? Marcus Freeman Hopes So

Key Takeaways as Notre Dame Obliterates Florida State

Notre Dame Reemerges in Joel Klatt's Top 10 College Football Rankings

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

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