Notre Dame Clinches College Football Playoff Berth After Beating USC Trojans? Rankings

The No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat the USC Trojans in the final game of the regular season. Did the Irish clinch a berth in the College Football Playoff with the win over the Trojans? Where will they land in the latest rankings update?

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat the USC Trojans 49-35 on Saturday, finishing the regular season with an 11-1 record. Did the Irish clinch a berth as one of the 12 teams competing in the College Football Playoff with the win?

Because of Notre Dame's independent status, they will not be participating in championship weekend while the country's conferences determine their respective winners. As a result, the Irish are unable to secure one of the top-four seeds in the CFP because they are reserved for the four highest-ranked conference champions.

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As a result, Notre Dame's resume is complete, and the Irish are expected to compete in the postseason. The real question is not if Notre Dame will make the CFP, but how high will they be ranked?

After a number of chaotic upsets across the country, Notre Dame is one of the bigger winners of the weekend. The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes lost to the Michigan Wolverines, meaning Notre Dame will expect to move up one position in the latest rankings. The Irish are squarely in the top 10, and a berth to the CFP is a foregone conclusion.

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks and Penn State Nittany Lions will play in the Big Ten Championship. The Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs will compete for the SEC Championship. The ACC title game will be the Clemson Tigers against the SMU Mustangs, and Iowa State vs. Arizona State will decide the Big 12 Conference champion.

In the first year of the 12-team playoff format, there is a chance that each of the Power Four conferences are won by newcomers. Oregon, Texas, SMU, and Arizona State are all competing in their new leagues for the first season in 2024. Can they sweep the conference championship games?

The AP Top-25 Poll is released on Sunday, and the College Football Playoff Rankings will be revealed on Tuesday evening. However, the most important rankings will not be released until Dec. 8, when Notre Dame will learn its fate.

The Trojans were already bowl eligible before playing Notre Dame, but USC had a prime opportunity to spoil their rivals' playoff hopes. Instead, Notre Dame will likely be seeded somewhere from No. 5 to No. 8, which means there will be a playoff game hosted in South Bend, Indiana.

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