Finished in 5th place.
Sixth place wouldn't be bad, seventh would be okay, but landing in fifth place would be ideal.
In fact, at least the way it sounds is not accurate.
Notre Dame should realistically aim for a top-four finish in the final College Football Playoff rankings, but without a place in the conference championships that guarantee a top-four finish and a first-round exemption in the expanded CFP, the highest seed the Irish can get is No. 5.
This isn't even a worst-case scenario. Think about it. All the top teams have to play 13 games. The top four teams in the CFP have to play a neutral-site game for the conference championship. If the Irish secure fifth place, their 13th game will likely be a home match against a team like Liberty, Memphis or Boise State.
But first the team must win at least 10 games to qualify for the newly expanded 12-team tournament, and ideally 11 games to secure the No. 5 seed.
Barring a slew of injuries, the team has the ability to accomplish that, and completing this schedule with fewer than 10 wins would be a major disappointment.
They have three games in the schedule: at Texas A&M, at home against Florida State and at USC. Other games, like a match against Georgia Tech and a home game against Louisville, could put them in the rankings, but the Irish should advance if they win two of those three games.
Set Notre Dame's win total to… Ten
Contenders: Army (Bronx), Miami University, Navy (East Rutherford), Northern Illinois, Virginia
50/50 Games: Florida State vs Georgia Tech, Louisville vs Purdue, Stanford vs Texas A&M, USC
Probability of Loss: No certain probability of loss
August 31st Texas A&M
September 7th Northern Illinois
September 14, Purdue University
September 21st Miami University
September 28th Louisville
Opening day: October 5th
October 12th Stanford
October 19th Georgia Tech
Oct. 26 vs. Navy (East Rutherford)
Opening day: November 2nd
November 9th Florida
November 16th Virginia
November 23, Army (Bronx)
November 30th at USC
Notre Dame Preview 2024
Notre Dame Football Preview 2024
Offensive Preview: Irish O's take flight
Defence preview: Ireland are once again the best team in the country
Special teams preview: Kicker has to be successful
Keys of the season: top players, matches and transfers
