Where Notre Dame ranks in Week 15 College Football Playoff rankings
Notre Dame’s case-making era is officially over. The Fighting Irish do not play another game between now and selection day, which is this coming Sunday, Dec. 8.
They’ll enter that day ranked No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
As they have every Tuesday, the Irish moved up in the CFP poll. They were No. 5 last week prior to a 49-35 victory at rival USC. That was not enough to jump No. 3 Penn State (11-1), who beat USC in Los Angeles 33-30 in overtime earlier this season.
Based on the latest poll, Notre Dame would be the No. 6 seed hosting No. 11 seed Alabama (9-3) in the first round of the playoff. Head coach Marcus Freeman‘s team gets leaped in the rankings by projected conference champions SMU and Boise State, the No. 8 and No. 10 teams in the rankings, respectively.
Notre Dame has one victory over a team ranked in the latest poll, No. 24 Army. The Nittany Lions also only have one win over a team in the current rankings, No. 21 Illinois.
The two team’s résumé’s are similar. Penn State has a “better” loss, only falling by a touchdown to No. 6 Ohio State. Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois at home by two points in Week 2.
While the Irish sit home and watch conference championship games this weekend, the Nittany Lions get to take on No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten title game. An Oregon victory in Indianapolis might be what the Irish need to finally move past Penn State.
Week 15 College Playoff Rankings: Notre Dame No. 4
1. Oregon (12-0)
2. Texas (11-1)
3. Penn State (11-1)
4. Notre Dame (11-1)
5. Georgia (10-2)
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6. Ohio State (10-2)
7. Tennessee (10-2)
8. SMU (11-1)
9. Indiana (11-1)
10. Boise State (11-1)
11. Alabama (9-3)
12. Miami (10-2)
13. Ole Miss (9-3)
14. South Carolina (9-3)
15. Arizona State (10-2)
16. Iowa State (10-2)
17. Clemson (9-3)
18. BYU (10-2)
19. Missouri (9-3)
20. UNLV (10-2)
21. Illinois (9-3)
22. Syracuse (9-3)
23. Colorado (9-3)
24. Army (10-1)
25. Memphis (10-2)
Week 15 College Football Playoff bracket
First-round byes
- No. 1 Oregon
- No. 2 Texas
- No. 3 SMU
- No. 4 Boise State
First-round matchups
- No. 12 Arizona State at No. 5 Penn State
- No. 11 Alabama at No. 6 Notre Dame
- No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Georgia
- No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State
