Notre Dame is in the college football playoffs. That much we know. We don’t know what the Irish’s seed will be and who their first-round opponent will be. The results of this weekend’s conference championship games will give us that clarity, with the selection committee announcing the official seedings and pairings on Sunday. Even though they don’t play this weekend, the Irish could still move up or down in the rankings depending on how things play out. Here’s a rooting guide for Notre Dame fans with how each game could impact Notre Dame’s eventual first-round matchup.
Mountain West Championship
#20 UNLV @ #10 Boise State
Friday 8:00 PM (FOX)
The winner of this game will get the 5th automatic bid for conference winners and won’t impact Notre Dame’s seeding at all, but it could impact Notre Dame’s potential opponent. If Boise State wins, they are likely the 4th seed, as they are currently projected. If UNLV were to pull the upset, they would be the 12th seed since they likely wouldn’t jump the winner of the Pac-12 championship. Notre Dame needs some help to move up to the 5th seed, but if they were to move up, UNLV would be a potential opponent if they beat Boise State.
Who should Notre Dame fans be rooting for: Boise State for potential quarterfinals matchup or UNLV for chaos.
Big 12 Championship
#16 Iowa State vs. #12 Arizona State
Saturday 12:00 PM (ABC) AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
The winner of this game is likely headed for the 12th seed and a road trip to the 5th seed in the first round of the playoffs. The winner here really doesn’t impact Notre Dame in any meaningful way although I suppose it would be a better potential matchup for the Irish to have the team from Arizona potentially play on a cold Northern Indiana December afternoon or evening.
Who should Notre Dame fans be rooting for: Arizona State
SEC Championship
#5 Georgia vs. #2 Texas
Saturday 4:00 PM (ABC) Mercedez Benz Stadium – Atlanta, GA
The outcome of this game could have a significant impact on Notre Dame’s seeding. The Irish are currently ranked ahead of Georgia, but if the Bulldogs beat the Longhorns again, they’ll get the first-round bye and jump Notre Dame. Texas likely will not drop below Notre Dame for losing to Georgia a second time, so a Texas loss could push Notre Dame from its current 6th seed to the 7th seed, depending on what happens with the Big Ten Championship. The best outcome for Notre Dame here is a Texas win. Georgia would stay below Notre Dame, and the worst-case scenario for Notre Dame would be staying the 6th seed.
Who should Notre Dame fans be rooting for: Texas, no question.
Big Ten Championship
#3 Penn State vs. #1 Oregon
Saturday 8:00 PM (CBS) Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
The game with the biggest potential impact on Notre Dame’s seeding is the Big Ten Championship. The only chance Notre Dame has at moving up in the seedings while sitting idle this weekend is if Oregon wins convincingly over Penn State. There was a lot of debate between Notre Dame and Penn State with the Irish easily having the worse loss, but also having the better resume otherwise. A close Penn State loss and the Lions likely stay ahead of the Irish. A Penn State win doesn’t do a whole lot to Notre Dame’s seeding since Oregon would still be ahead of Notre Dame in the seedings as Penn State is now.
The worst-case scenario would be a combination of Penn State and Georgia winning. Notre Dame would be assured of the 7th seed in that scenario. Texas and Oregon winning opens the door for Notre Dame to move into the 5th seed. Even in the worst-case scenario, though, Notre Dame will still host a playoff game inside Notre Dame Stadium this month.
Who should Notre Dame fans be rooting for: Oregon, ideally by 10+ points.
ACC Championship
#17 Clemson vs. #8 SMU
Saturday 8:00 PM (ABC) Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
This is another one that doesn’t impact Notre Dame’s seeding much but could impact Notre Dame’s potential opponent. If Clemson pulls off the upset, they will get the automatic bid and set up an SMU and Alabama debate for the final at-large bid. As it stands, Notre Dame would host Alabama in the first round with the Crimson Tide currently the 11 seed. Would the committee drop SMU below Alabama if they lost to Clemson while Alabama was idle? In that scenario, SMU’s two losses would be to ranked teams, but they also wouldn’t have any wins over ranked teams. The committee already has 3-loss Alabama in over 2-loss Miami.
If Clemson wins, they’ll likely be the 12th seed unless UNLV also pulls off the upset. That could potentially set up a Notre Dame – Clemson first-round game in Notre Dame Stadium if the Irish move up to the 5th seed.
Who should Notre Dame fans be rooting for: Clemson if you’re worried about a potential Alabama – Notre Dame matchup even though the Irish would be favored in such a game.
