Where Notre Dame stands in Sporting News’ College Football Playoff era program rankings
Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff era results are aspirations for most FBS teams. The Irish are 54-10 since 2017, have reached the playoff twice, made two more New Year’s Six games and won at least 10 games six times.
That’s a body of work matched by only a few teams.
But also exceeded by a handful. Six, to be exact, according to Sporting News’ playoff era program rankings. Notre Dame is the No. 7 team in them, as determined by a formula that measures results from 2014 through 2021.
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The formula – created by Sporting News’ Bill Bender – awarded 10 points for a national title, five points for a championship game appearance, five points for a playoff appearance and two for a New Year’s Six berth. Points for winning percentages, consensus All-Americans and NFL Draft picks were awarded to 16 teams in an Associated Press poll-style system (16 points for the most, 15 for the second-most and so on until one point for the 16th-most). Heisman winners were worth one point.
It all amounted to 44.5 points for Notre Dame, which is behind No. 1 Alabama (160 points), Clemson (119), Ohio State (101), Georgia (71), Oklahoma (62.5) and LSU (56.5). Michigan (33.5 points), Wisconsin (20) and Florida State (19) rounded out the top 10. Oregon, Florida, Washington, Penn State and Boise State comprised the rest of the poll.
“The Irish aren’t overrated or underrated,” Bender wrote. “This is simply the sweet spot for the program that has made two playoff appearances and strung together five consecutive seasons with 10 wins or more. Notre Dame ranks eighth in the FBS in consensus All-Americans, and Marcus Freeman inherits the challenge that eluded [Brian] Kelly for the last decade. This program still is looking for its first national championship since 1988.”
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Alabama (2020) and Clemson (2018) denied the Irish a shot at one in convincing fashion. Notre Dame lost playoff games against them by a combined score of 61-17. Both were a reminder that even as Notre Dame has pushed itself higher after its 4-8 calamity in 2016, so have the few programs it’s chasing.
Freeman has not shied away from discussing the gap Notre Dame faces and how he hopes to narrow it. His favorite word since becoming head coach in December is “enhance.” That’s what he was hired to do – take a sturdy and successful operation and help it climb the steps it has stumbled on in recent years.
The first area he could help was in recruiting. So far, so good there. Notre Dame has the No. 1 class in 2023 and 2024, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.
On the field, the Irish will learn right away how much distance remains between themselves and one of those six programs ahead of them. They visit Ohio State Sept. 3 to open the season.
