After fighting off USC in the coliseum, Notre Dame exorcised their early-season demons and punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff. What remained to be seen up until today was who their first round opponent would be. What team would be travelling to South Bend to take on the red hot Fighting Irish in mid-December? After a thrilling conference championship weekend, we finally have our answer.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
Prior to Saturday, there was optimism that Notre Dame could possibly overtake Penn State and earn the coveted five seed, which would give them a more favorable path heading into the group stage, drawing the at-large opponent. Many believed that the Nittany Lions would be no match for Dan Lanning's Oregon powerhouse, who were undefeated heading into the BIG 10 championship. Given James Franklin's history in these games, it wouldn't be stretch to assume that Penn State would lose this game. The biggest question was if Penn State could be competitive enough to maintain their edge over Notre Dame in the rankings. In the early going, it looked like the Ducks were getting ready to run away with the game. Penn State would fight back, closing Oregon's lead to 4 points at halftime. They would continue to fight back and forth, with the game fluctuating between one and two scores until the final drive. Down eight points, the Nittany Lions had the ball at midfield with a chance to tie the game in the final two minutes. A Drew Allar interception on a deep ball would seal the win for Oregon. The College Football Playoff Committee stated before conference championship weekend that they wouldn't be extremely keen on punishing teams for losing in the championship game, so it remained to be seen if Penn State would fall below the Irish when the final rankings were released.
The other game with massive implications for Notre Dame's seeding took place in Atlanta, as Texas would rematch Georgia for the SEC title. During the first installment, it was all Dawgs, as the Longhorn offense could never seem to find their rhythm against an incredibly talented Georgia front seven. In order for Notre Dame to stay put where they were currently seeded, it seemed that Texas would need to win this game in order to keep Georgia from leapfrogging both teams, and have Texas push Notre Dame back further. Of course, there was also the possibility that Texas could lose and fall below the Irish, but given the committee's stance on not punishing losses in championship games, it was hard to believe that Notre Dame wouldn't be pushed back with a Longhorn loss. Despite Texas outgaining Georgia to the tune of over 200 yards in the first half, the Longhorns only led by three at the break. The Bulldogs would take a late game three point lead, which was answered in kind by a game tying field goal from the Longhorns to force overtime. In the end, Georgia would force a field goal and score on their first possession to win the game.
As things stood last night, there appeared to be three possible outcomes for the Irish. They could earn the five seed, staying ahead of both Penn State and Texas who lost. They could earn the six seed, and stay ahead of one of these teams. Or, they could earn the seven seed, falling behind both programs. In the end, it would be the Longhorns who would grab the fifth seed, and Penn State who would grab the sixth seed - the committee kept their word.
Notre Dame would secure the seventh seed, and have drawn the tenth seeded Indiana Hoosiers. The Hoosiers sit at 11-1, with their lone loss of the season against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Irish might have hoped for a more geographically favorable matchup, however, the Hoosiers strength of schedule has been one of their biggest knocks this season. The game is set to take place over the weekend of December 20th in Notre Dame Stadium. The winner will advance to play the number two seeded Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl.
We'd love to hear your thoughts! Did Notre Dame deserve to be ranked higher? Let us know.
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