COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS: Undefeated Notre Dame Sustains #8 Ranking; College Football Playoff Implications Next Week

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After their strong road win over Wake Forest, Notre Dame sustained their #8 ranking in the AP and Coaches Polls, as the Irish head into a two-game gauntlet against the only ranked opponents still looming on their schedule.

In the next two weeks, Notre Dame has #7 Stanford at home before taking on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Incredibly, Virginia Tech is still ranked in the Coaches Poll, at #24, even after losing by two touchdowns to previously winless Old Dominion. Meanwhile, Stanford rallied from a multiple-touchdown deficit to knock off a strong Oregon team in overtime in Eugene.

Interestingly, after falling out of the polls previously, end-of-the-year opponent Southern Cal is now clawing back, getting votes in the Coaches Poll. Meanwhile, one of the reasons that Notre Dame opponent Florida State fell out of the polls was a big loss to Syracuse (as well as an earlier Seminole loss to Virginia Tech.) Syracuse also is on Notre Dame’s schedule, for a neutral site game at Yankee Stadium. Syracuse is getting votes in both polls, at de facto #28 in the Coaches Poll and a bit further down in the AP.

Notre Dame has not won a major bowl game in a quarter-century, and attempting that feat is probably the most important goal they can have this season, especially after winning a second-tier sub-major New Year’s bowl last year when they beat LSU in the Citrus Bowl.

Yet, the College Football Playoff also still beckons, at least on the Irish Wish List, even if their trip to the unofficial BCS title game six years ago was wiped off the history books by NCAA sanctions.

With five power conferences, for Notre Dame to get into the College Football Playoffs, at least two power conference champions have to be left out.

Stanford is currently the highest-ranked team in the PAC-12, and Notre Dame plays them next week. Notre Dame and Stanford, as mentioned above, are clustered together at #7 and #8. Ranked above Notre Dame and Stanford are three SEC teams, an ACC team, a B1G/Big Ten team and a Big 12 team.

If Notre Dame can survive Stanford (as well as Southern Cal later in the year), they would have an argument for surpassing the PAC-12 champion for a playoff berth. (Washington is knocking on the door of the top-10 again, yet Washington already has a loss, to a one-loss Auburn.)

The SEC can only produce one champion, although that might not preclude boosters from arguing for multiple SEC berths. While last year’s results have no bearing, it still might be interesting to see how #5 LSU ends up, considering that Notre Dame did beat them in last year’s bowl game.

Notre Dame partners with the ACC, of course, but their partial ACC slate does not include #3 Clemson. A key consideration might be how Clemson fares against ACC opponents that they share in common with Notre Dame. Ohio State, at #4 still has to play the rest of their B1G/Big Ten slate, including a top-15 Michigan team that Notre Dame already beat.

Of course, seasons tend to unfold in unexpected ways, as Virginia Tech just demonstrated. And, for Notre Dame, just continuing to win from week-to-week will be their most immediate challenge.

(first-place votes in parentheses) (Notre Dame opponents marked in dark blue)