The Fighting Irish Fan’s Guide to Championship Weekend: Ranking Notre Dame’s Cfp Rooting Interests

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in a rivalry game on the road. Auburn has been an extremely tough place to play for many teams this year, such as Georgia and Vanderbilt, and the committee gave Alabama a little respect for winning that game, getting out early 17-0. The game got tied again, and Alabama made gutsy calls late in the game to go for it on fourth-and-2, and then getting a turnover again late in the game.”

Despite this explanation, Notre Dame needs specific results from five crucial games on Friday and Saturday to return to the College Football Playoffs. Let’s break down these matches:

Key Matchups

  1. No. 11 BYU (11-1) VS. No. 4 Texas Tech (11-1): Saturday at Noon ET on ABC

    2. This matchup is crucial as a win by BYU could push Notre Dame closer to the CFP, provided they lose this game. However, it’s not enough for Notre Dame to simply root for BYU; they need them to perform well in their rivalry match.

  2. No. 3 Georgia (11-1) VS.

    No. 9 Alabama (10-2): Saturday at 4 PM ET on ABC

    3. The committee has stated that it would prefer to avoid dropping conference championship losers, but there are no guarantees. A win for Georgia could push Notre Dame further down the rankings.

  3. Duke (7-5) VS. No. 17 Virginia (10-2): Saturday at 8 PM ET on ABC

    4. A Duke victory in this ACC Championship game would create a potential nightmare scenario for the committee, as it could force them to put an unranked team into the top 12.

    This would increase pressure on the committee to move Miami past Notre Dame.

  4. Boise State (8-4) VS. UNLV (10-2): Friday at 8 PM ET on FOX

    5. The winner of this Mountain West title bout could impact Notre Dame’s strength of record, making their victories look better or worse compared to Miami.

  5. Troy (8-4) VS. No. 25 James Madison (11-1): Friday at 7 PM ET on ESPN

    6. Notre Dame could gain two benefits from a Troy victory: first, it would allow Duke to be the fifth-highest ranked conference champion and potentially get into the CFP; second, it would boost Notre Dame’s resume by giving them another top-25 win.

    The Remaining Conferences

    Other important matchups include:

    1. No. 24 North Texas (11-1) VS. No. 20 Tulane (10-2): Friday at 8 PM ET on ABC
    2. No. 2 Indiana (12-0) VS. No. 1 Ohio State (12-0): Saturday at 8 PM ET on FOX
    3. Kennesaw State (9-3) VS. Jacksonville State (8-4): Friday at 7 PM ET on CBSSN

    While these games are less consequential, they could still affect the overall landscape of the CFP.

    The Road Ahead for Notre Dame

    The road ahead is challenging for the Fighting Irish. With specific results needed to secure their playoff hopes, fans will be closely monitoring each of the five crucial matchups on Friday and Saturday. The stakes are high, and every victory or loss could determine whether Notre Dame returns to the College Football Playoff in 2025.

    As Selection Sunday approaches, the pressure is on both the Fighting Irish and their supporters.

    One wrong move or unexpected result could spell disaster for Notre Dame’s chances of making it back into the CFP. The next few days will be crucial as the committee finalizes its rankings based on these pivotal games.

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