Newsstand: Who would Notre Dame face in the College Football Playoff if the season ended today?
Notre Dame (9-1) is No. 6 in the updated College Football Playoff rankings, but No. 8 in the projected bracket. That would earn the Irish a home game in the first round of the CFP and a date with No. 7 Alabama (8-2).
This is not the “We will smash you with hammers” Crimson Tide of the Nick Saban era, whose (arguably) best team trounced the Irish 31-14 in the CFP semifinals in 2020. However, this is still a dangerous Alabama team who, like Notre Dame, responded well to a shocking (but significantly more excusable) early-season loss.
After the Tide lost to Vanderbilt 40-35 on Oct. 5, it beat South Carolina before losing to Tennessee on the road and pulling off convincing wins over Missouri (34-0) and LSU (42-13).
First-year Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer has perhaps the only dual-threat quarterback more dangerous than Riley Leonard this season: Jalen Milroe. Milroe has accounted for 32 touchdowns — 15 through the air and 17 on the ground — this season.
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Alabama closes its regular season with matchups against Oklahoma and Auburn. If it wins both, it has a significant chance to reach the Southeastern Conference Championship game.
Notre Dame Tweets of the day
The Irish were the No. 5 team in the country the day they lost to Northern Illinois. They’ve climbed all the way back to No. 6.
Xavier Watts is having a phenomenal season.
The Irish are 4-0 in men’s basketball.
Quote of the day
“I met with the defensive staff and the first thing we said is that the biggest mistake we can make is to think that this is Navy 2.0. It’s not. It’s a different offense. They do some different things. They got a different identity, and present a different challenge.”
— Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman on Army
Headlines of the day
- Army is not ‘Navy 2.0,’ but the Black Knights are still up against it vs. Fighting Irish
- On Paper: Who has the edge in every facet of Notre Dame vs. Army?
- Irish in the NFL: Michael Mayer rejoins Raiders after personal absence
- Notre Dame guard Sir Mohammed undergoes surgery, out indefinitely
- Notre Dame football schedules home-and-home with Texas in 2028, 2029
- Where Notre Dame commits land in On3 Industry Ranking after latest updates
- On3’s No. 1 2026 CB RJ Sermons includes Notre Dame football in top 10
- Notre Dame football: Irish move up again in Week 13 College Football Playoff rankings
- What Week 13 College Football Playoff rankings mean for Fighting Irish
- Instant takeaways: Markus Burton drops 29 as Notre Dame handles North Dakota
