Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff comeback is well underway

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were in the national title game just last season, so they opened as the number six team in the nation, firmly in the playoff race. After two games, though, the Irish slipped all the way to 24 and faced an improbable hill to get back into range. As of this weekend, with the latest AP Poll officially out, the Fighting Irish are officially back in that range for now, so they’ve managed to successfully overcome their dreadful start.

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Notre Dame fights back into top 12 after 0-2 start

The 0-2 record was not necessarily indicative of how good the Notre Dame Fighting Irish really were. They lost by four combined points to the current number 10 team (Miami, who just lost as the second-ranked team for the first time all year) and the current number 19 team (Texas A&M), who was third at the time. Losing close games to those teams should’ve indicated that the Irish were pretty solid, but moral victories mean nothing to the playoffs.

Now, after reeling off five straight wins, they’re officially back up to number 12. If the season ended today, they’d be the last team added to the playoff field. That’s significant. The Irish do not have a conference. They can’t win a conference title and get an automatic bid, so they’re left to fight with all other at-large teams. It’s a crowded room. Fortunately, for now, the Irish seem to be in a good spot.

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However, it’s worth noting that the current 12th ranking is the AP Poll. The College Football Playoff committee has its own ranking, but they haven’t started yet. When they do, it’s highly likely that the top 25 will look very different. If so, Notre Dame could be lower (or higher, theoretically). It depends on how the committee values the wins and the losses, which is often different than the AP.

The Irish might be penalized more for those two losses. They might be cut some slack for losing to elite teams. Other teams might have the same fate. For example, 15th-ranked Florida might be looked on more favorably, thus moving them up. Ninth-ranked LSU might be viewed unfavorably. It’s hard to nail down the committee. For now, though, Notre Dame is in the right spot.

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