Notre Dame's Playoff Odds Surge in ESPN FPI Rankings After Victory Over Stanford

Notre Dame wins impressively as it moves up in computer rankings again

Notre Dame running back Aneyas Williams (20) gets hoisted in the air after scoring a touchdown during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame came off its bye week and promptly dominated Stanford to the tune of a 49-7 victory in South Bend on Saturday. The win moves Notre Dame to 5-1 at the season's midway point and keeps its College Football Playoff chances very much alive.

In fact, it increased Notre Dame's chances of making the College Football Playoff as the win paired with various defeats across the nation all helped the Irish.

ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) has updated their numbers this Sunday morning and things again look a bit more manageable for Notre Dame as the season enters its second half.

Notre Dame Moves Up in ESPN FPI Rankings

After dominating Stanford on Saturday, Notre Dame moved up one spot from seven to six in the ESPN FPI rankings. Perhaps surprising is that Notre Dame didn't pass a team that lost, but instead Tennessee, who barely snuck by Florida in overtime Saturday.

Also notable is that despite the win over Ohio State, Oregon remained behind Notre Dame at No. 8. Below is the updated ESPN FPI top 25 with a comparison to where each team was rated a week ago.

1. Texas
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. Georgia
5. Ole Miss
6. Notre Dame (+1)
7. Tennessee (-1)
8. Oregon
9. Penn State
10. Miami
11. Clemson
12. Texas A&M
13. USC
14. LSU (+1)
15. Indiana (-1)
16. Louisville
17. Iowa State (+2)
18. SMU
19. Missouri (+3)
20. Oklahoma (-3)
21. Kansas State
22. Boise State (-2)
23. Iowa (+3)
24. Tulane (-1)
25. Arkansas (-1)

ESPN FPI Projects Notre Dame's Remainder of Season

Here are Notre Dame's chances at winning each of the remaining six games according to ESPN FPI along with what those chances were a week ago, pre-Stanford week. As you'll see, Notre Dame's chances of making the College Football Playoff are very much alive as they saw a significant increase from a week ago.

Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech: 83.4% (+2.4)
Notre Dame vs. Navy: 92.7% (+3.1)
Notre Dame vs. Florida State: 94.5% (+1.4)
Notre Dame vs. Virginia: 93.2% (+2.5)
Notre Dame vs. Army: 84.0% (+1.2)
Notre Dame at USC: 56.5% (+5.2)

Notre Dame Season Projections from ESPN FPI:

To Win-Out This Regular Season: 34.2% (up 7.6% from Oct. 6)
Make College Football Playoff: 57.4% (up 9.0%)*
Make National Championship Game: 8.6 (up 3.0%)
Win National Championship: 4.1% (up 1.7%)

*-Notre Dame's 48.4% chance to make the College Football Playoff are the eighth best of any team nationally according to ESPN FPI.

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Notre Dame Dominance of Stanford a Confidence Builder