Seeding debate ignites: Notre Dame lands 10th, eyeing a playoff rematch with BYU and a potential clash with ranked Pitt.
The first batch of the College Football Playoff rankings were released and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were ranked 10th in the first rankings. If the playoffs started today that means Notre Dame would be in the playoff for the second straight season.
Notre Dame was ranked 10th in the first playoff rankings a season ago and finished ranked No. 5, although the Irish were seeded No. 7 due to the first four seeds going to the four highest ranked conference champions. The seeds are now based on ranking outside of the five highest ranked conference champions getting in.
If the playoff started today Notre Dame would play at BYU in the first round playoff game. Notre Dame has played BYU seven times, with the Irish holding a 5-2 overall record. The last time they played was in 2022, when the Irish beat BYU 28-20 in a game played in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Notre Dame lost to No. 3 Texas A&M (41-40) and No. 18 Miami (27-24). Notre Dame being eight spots ahead of the Hurricanes, despite their head-to-head loss, was one of the more intriguing aspects of the rankings. The other three head-to-head matchups with comparable records saw the team that won get ranked higher.
Notre Dame plays Navy this weekend and if they win it will set up a matchup against the Pitt Panthers, who checked in at No. 24 in the first rankings update. The Panthers are off this weekend, which means they will likely be ranked when Notre Dame heads east to play them on November 15th.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0)
2. Indiana Hoosiers (9-0)
3. Texas A&M Aggies (8-0)
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)
5. Georgia Bulldogs (7-1)
6. Ole Miss Rebels (8-1)
7. BYU Cougars (8-0)
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-1)
9. Oregon Ducks (7-1)
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-2)
11. Texas Longhorns (7-2)
12. Oklahoma Sooners (7-2)
13. Utah Utes (7-2)
14. Virginia Cavaliers (8-1)
15. Louisville Cardinals (7-1)
16. Vanderbilt Commodores (7-2)
17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-1)
18. Miami Hurricanes (6-2)
19. USC Trojans (6-2)
20. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2)
21. Michigan Wolverines (7-2)
22. Missouri Tigers (6-2)
23. Washington Huskies (6-2)
24. Pittsburgh Panthers (7-2)
25. Tennessee Volunteers (6-3)
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