Notre Dame eyes playoff glory. Discover which games offer crucial resume boosts and crucial chaos for their championship dreams.
Notre Dame moved up to No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, which gets the Irish closer to being in a safe place for the playoffs. Notre Dame gets a great chance this weekend to make another big statement and build on its playoff resume. If the Irish can beat No. 22 Pitt on Saturday it will further cement their standing. Having said that, it wouldn't hurt to have some chaos around the Irish to help solidify their standing. Of course, Notre Dame would also like to host a playoff game in round one, and for that to happen the Irish will need some help.
With that in mind, let's look at the games that will have the biggest impact on that happening and who Irish fans should be rooting for.
RESUME BUILDERS
#24 SOUTH FLORIDA (7-2) at NAVY (7-2)
Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Md.)
Date: Saturday - November 15
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Network: ESPN2
Line: South Florida -9.5, O/U: 62.5
Who To Root For: Navy
The biggest key to Notre Dame's resume is its own opponents. The committee looks at two types of positive wins. One is Top 25 wins, which are the best. Notre Dame only has one Top 25 win at the moment (USC), and Navy is one of only two opponents on the schedule who have a chance to finish in the Top 25 (Pitt is the other). They will need to beat South Florida and Memphis the next two weeks to jump into the Top 25. It won't be easy, but that's what Notre Dame fans should be rooting for. Even if Navy doesn't jump into the Top 25, a 9-2 Navy team with wins over South Florida and Memphis will be viewed as a very strong win for the Irish. A 7-4 Navy team will still be considered a quality win, but it obviously wouldn't be as strong of a resume builder.
NC STATE (5-4) at #15 MIAMI (7-2)
Location: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Date: Saturday - November 15
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Network: ESPN
Line: Miami -14.5, O/U: 55.5
Who To Root For: NC State
Notre Dame doesn't really need Miami to be ranked high for their resume, and it's clear the committee isn't as high on Miami as analysts and media members. A Miami win over NC State doesn't really hurt Notre Dame, but it does give the Hurricanes a chance to get closer and closer to the Irish in the rankings. Miami also has Pitt left on the schedule, which combined with NC State this weekend and recent games against Stanford and Syracuse, which gives them a lot of games against common opponents. If Miami is only a spot or two behind Notre Dame and they are more impressive in those wins than Notre Dame it could give the committee a reason to drop the Irish down behind the Hurricanes, who own the head to head.
So this game has two levels to it. One is that NC State wins the game, which ends the Miami vs. Notre Dame debate. It would give NC State a third Top 25 win, which makes the 36-7 Notre Dame win over the Wolfpack even more impressive. The second level is that even if Miami wins, you want the game to be very close, which makes Notre Dame's win over NC State more impressive.
#21 IOWA (6-3) at #17 USC (7-2)
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Date: Saturday - November 15
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Network: Big Ten Network
Line: USC -6.5, O/U: 49.5
Who To Root For: USC
USC is Notre Dame's only Top 25 win, and the odds right now are good that USC has a chance to finish as their only Top 25 win. USC plays Iowa this weekend and at Oregon next weekend. If the Trojans drop both they likely drop out of the Top 25, which hurts Notre Dame's resume a great deal. If USC beats Iowa this weekend and UCLA to end the regular season it guarantees USC remains in the Top 25 even if it loses to Oregon next weekend. You might not like it, but its good for Notre Dame if USC keeps winning.
BOISE STATE (6-3) at SAN DIEGO STATE (7-2)
Location: Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, Calif.)
Date: Saturday - November 15
Time: 10:30 PM ET
Network: CBS Sports Network
Line: San Diego State -1.5, O/U: 41.5
Who To Root For: Boise State
Boise State is considered a quality win for the Irish, but if they keep losing that hurts the quality of that win. A road win over San Diego State would give the Boise State resume a huge boost. With Colorado State (2-7) and Utah State (5-4) remaining on the schedule, a win over the Aztecs also gives the Broncos a great chance to finish 9-3, which gives Notre Dame a very good win on its resume.
PLAYOFF CONTENDERS
#11 OKLAHOMA (7-2) at #4 ALABAMA (8-1)
Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Date: Saturday - November 15
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Network: ABC
Line: Alabama -5.5, O/U: 46.5
Who To Root For: Alabama
This one is easy, you want Alabama to win this football game. Oklahoma beating Alabama likely wouldn't result in Alabama falling behind Notre Dame. What it would likely do, however, is allow Oklahoma to jump ahead of the Irish. So Alabama winning completely knocks Oklahoma out of a rankings battle with the Irish. Oklahoma could still make the playoff, but they aren't passing up Notre Dame if the Irish win out and the Sooners lose to Alabama.
#13 UTAH (7-2) at BAYLOR (5-4)
Location: McLane Stadium (Waco, Texas)
Date: Saturday - November 15
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Network: ESPN2
Line: Utah 9.5, O/U: 60.5
Who To Root For: Baylor
What a chaotic week at Baylor! They could certainly use a win on the football field to create some much-needed positive vibes. A Baylor win is also good for Notre Dame in two ways. One, it prevents Utah from having a chance at passing Notre Dame in the rankings. That was unlikely, but eliminating it doesn't hurt at all. The second part is more impactful in that a loss to BYU saps Texas Tech and BYU of a really good win. Utah would likely remain in the Top 25 with a loss, but it would drop quite a bit. If they fall to Kansas State or Kansas in the final two games after losing to Baylor it would then drop them out and would eliminate any good win that BYU might have.
#10 TEXAS (7-2) at #5 GEORGIA (8-1)
Location: Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.)
Date: Saturday - November 15
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Network: ABC
Line: Georgia -6.5, O/U: 49.5
Who To Root For: Georgia
This is another easy one, and you should be rooting for Georgia to win, and the more impressive the better. Texas is right behind Notre Dame in the rankings, and if they end the season with wins over Georgia and Texas A&M there is zero doubt that they will jump Notre Dame in the rankings. One more loss and the Longhorns will be locked into staying behind a 10-2 Notre Dame. The worst case scenario for Notre Dame this weekend is that Texas and Oklahoma have upset wins, which likely means they both jump Notre Dame, and the odds are great that Alabama and Georgia stay ahead of Notre Dame as well. That would drop Notre Dame out of the playoff (they would get passed up by two automatic bids). At that point Notre Dame would need an upset or two to happen in the final two weeks of the season.
TCU (6-3) at #12 BYU (8-1)
Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium (Provo, Utah)
Date: Saturday - November 15
Time: 10:15 PM ET
Network: ESPN
Line: BYU -3.5, O/U: 50.5
Who To Root For: TCU
The Cougars suffered their first weekend last weekend, which dropped them below Notre Dame in the most recent rankings. It's unlikely that BYU jumps ahead of Notre Dame in the regular season, but if they run the table and win the Big 12 there's a chance that BYU would leap in front of Notre Dame and it's not a given that Texas Tech would then fall behind Notre Dame. If BYU drops another game it would fall far enough behind Notre Dame to stay behind Notre Dame even if they win the Big 12. That means a loss to TCU this weekend or one at Cincinnati next weekend is ideal.
There are a few other games to keep an eye on, but they are games that are far, far, far less likely to result in upsets. Minnesota beating #8 Oregon, UCF beating #6 Texas Tech, Boston College beating #16 Georgia Tech and Florida beating #7 Ole Miss would all be good for the Irish.
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