This all depends on No. 15 Notre Dame beating No. 6 USC on Saturday night (7:30 ET; ABC). If the Irish lose, then this entire conditional scenario goes out the window.
It’s conceivable, Notre Dame (8-3) winning. Its current five-game winning streak has been impressive enough to earn back some of the respect the Irish lost with their 3-3 start. The Trojans (10-1) are only 5.5-point favorites, a piece of worthwhile context as we delve into this wonder, can Notre Dame make the Cotton Bowl?
Whether it is preferable to play in the Cotton Bowl against the AAC champion or in the Holiday Bowl against a strong Pac-12 opponent, as an example, is a different debate. The fact of the matter is, the Irish would have no say in that debate. Either they finish the season ranked high enough by the Playoff selection committee to be required to play in the Cotton Bowl or they don’t.
That ranking will come down to how Notre Dame compares to the current Nos. 9-14 after Tuesday night’s poll update.
Map out a Playoff scenario any way you’d like — “If LSU beats Georgia …,” “If TCU loses …,” — the conclusion remains rather consistent: Beating USC may not be enough for the Irish; to jump all six teams directly in front of them, the Irish may need to dominate the Trojans.
Some of those scenarios include Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl (with TCU in the Playoff) and some slide Tennessee into the Orange Bowl (requiring two SEC teams in the Playoff), but otherwise, the question is how Notre Dame compares to Oregon, Tennessee, Penn State, Kansas State, Washington and Utah.
If this thought process has changed drastically in a week, thank the Volunteers’ blowout loss at South Carolina. Suddenly, it is not a sure thing Tennessee would remain ahead of the Irish no matter what they do this week. That opens up the board.
Yet, the Volunteers may still be the hurdle the Irish cannot clear.
No. 9 Oregon — at Oregon State (3:30 ET; ABC) — Good wins: vs. UCLA, vs. Utah — Bad losses: None.No. 10 Tennessee — at Vanderbilt (7:30 ET; SECN) — Good wins: at LSU, vs. Alabama — Bad losses: at South Carolina.No. 11 Penn State — vs. Michigan State (4 ET; FS1) — Good wins: None — Bad losses: NoneNo. 12 Kansas State — vs. Kansas (8 ET; FOX) — Good wins: vs. Oklahoma State — Bad losses: vs. Tulane.No. 13 Washington — at Washington State (10:30 ET; ESPN) — Good wins: at Oregon — Bad losses: at Arizona State.No. 14 Utah — at Colorado (4 ET; P12N) — Good wins: vs. USC — Bad losses: None.No. 15 Notre Dame — at USC (7:30 ET; ABC) — Good wins: vs. Clemson, hypothetically at USC — Bad losses: vs. Marshall, vs Stanford.
Note: Oregon and Kansas State are likely to play in conference title games. Kansas State beating TCU would adversely impact the Irish chances, unless the Horned Frogs still landed in the Playoff. Oregon beating USC would not matter, as that would be the Trojans second straight loss, likely knocking them out of the top-12, regardless.
So Notre Dame needs to beat USC, have TCU win the Big 12 and … trust the committee to ignore September.
Beating Clemson and USC would be a better pair of wins than any of those six teams can claim, but for Tennessee (9-2). Losing at home to Marshall and Stanford looks far worse than the Volunteers’ losses at Georgia and at South Carolina.
Thus, it is hard to see the Irish reaching a New Year’s Six Bowl unless they outright devastate the Trojans, a la their 35-13 win against Clemson and 44-0 shutout of Boston College this month.
Of course, Tennessee is now without star quarterback Hendon Hooker. Maybe the Volunteers lose to former Notre Dame defensive coordinator and current Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea. The two Irish defensive coordinators since Lea’s departure would greatly appreciate that, if they can get by USC at the same time.
Any losses among those other six teams will help the Notre Dame claim.
Oregon: Favored by 3, as of midday Wednesday, at Oregon State (3:30 ET; ABC).Tennessee: Favored by 14 at Vanderbilt (7:30 ET; SECN).Penn State: Favored by 18.5 vs. Michigan State (4 ET; FS1).Kansas State: Favored by 11.5 vs. Kansas (8 ET; FOX).Washington: Favored by 2 at Washington State (10:30 ET; ESPN).Utah: Favored by 30 at Colorado (4 ET; P12N).Notre Dame: A 5.5-point underdog at USC (7:30 ET; ABC).
Been interesting hearing Marcus Freeman talk about the USC rivalry this week. Not downplaying it, but "I'm still learning."
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) November 23, 2022
Brian Kelly first REALLY leaned into the rivalry only last year, his 12th at Notre Dame. Dialed it up that week, made it an active thought in the program. https://t.co/mGz1C3NtXD
If not the Cotton Bowl, the Irish will find themself somewhere in the first tier of ACC bowl tie-ins. That becomes more a subjective exercise, but the more notable half of that tier includes …
The Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 28 against a Pac 12 opponent.
The Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando on Dec. 29 against a Big 12 opponent.The Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte on Dec. 30 against a Big Ten opponent.The Gator Bowl in Jacksonville on Dec. 30 against an SEC opponent.
