Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FAN FORUM PLAYOFF DEBATES Regarding Football Bowl Series playoff implications of Notre Dame's being a "pseudo member" of the ACC for football purposes — please explain exactly how Notre Dame might fit into the four college teams selected for the playoffs. For example, Notre Dame used to be, in effect, a conference unto itself and thus eligible for one of the four major bowls provided it won at least so many games and had achieved at least a certain high ranking in a certain poll. If a team like Florida State were to become ACC conference champ, could an 11‑1 Notre Dame team also make the playoffs? In other words, does Notre Dame have true independence? Is it solely a matter of their being se‑ lected by the selection committee as one of four playoff participants? Or are there other considerations (e.g., winning one's conference) involved for the Irish? Dan Hasley '69 Phoenix Mr. Hasley, Notre Dame's partial mem‑ bership in ACC football does not require it to have to win a league championship to be considered for the College Football Playoff. An 11‑1 record in any year will have Notre Dame in the conversation as an independent. From there, the 13‑person selection committee weighs myriad factors: overall strength of schedule, quality wins, when and how did the defeat occur, and how does it compare with other 11‑1 or 12‑1 teams, etc. Narrowing it to four in most any year could become quite a taxing endeavor, which is why there is a popular notion that eventually the College Football Playoff will expand to eight teams. If Notre Dame finishes 12‑0 like it did in 2012, we're extremely confident in say‑ ing it would be in, thus rendering a lack of conference affiliation irrelevant. But let's say there would have been this four‑team format back in 2012 and the Irish would have lost to Pitt that year (it won 29‑26 in triple overtime) and finished the regular season 11‑1. That's when the debates really begin. • As the 12‑1 SEC champion over Geor‑ gia, No. 1 Alabama would have definitely been in, but the other three spots would have a lot of debate. • Florida was ranked No. 3 at the end the 2012 regular season with an 11‑1 re‑ cord, yet because it lost to Georgia it didn't even represent the East Division against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Georgia (11‑2) would be arguing that be‑ cause it defeated the Gators head to head and barely lost to Alabama, it should be in the College Football Playoff. • Oregon was ranked No. 4 at 11‑1 — but it too didn't make the Pac‑10 Cham‑ pionship Game because it lost at home to 11‑2 Stanford. The No. 6 Cardinal would BE HEARD! Send your letters to: Letters Blue & Gold Illustrated P. O. Box 1007 Notre Dame, IN 46556 or e-mail to: lsomogyi@blueandgold.com