BY LOU SOMOGYI
W
hen the four-team College
Football Playoff (CFP) was
introduced in 2014, an in-
stant reaction among many
Notre Dame faithful was that it would
make it easier for the Fighting Irish to
vie for the national title.
The mere fact that the number of
participants for the title increased
from two in the old Bowl Champion-
ship Series (BCS) format, used from
1998-2013, to the current four in the
CFP system made it elementary logic
that the opportunities would be en-
hanced.
Proof of this has occurred this No-
vember, especially when one-loss
Notre Dame was ranked No. 4 in the
CFP committee's rankings released on
Nov. 10 and Nov. 17.
PLAYOFF FEVER
The four-team format might
not have been beneficial to
Notre Dame in the past
Head coach Ara Parseghian's 1973 national champs, with captains (left to right) Frank Pomarico, Dave
Casper and Mike Townsend, in the current system might have had to play both Ohio State and Alabama.
PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS
