newsweek
The College Football Playoff selection committee's initial rankings, released Tuesday, placed Notre Dame at No. 11, a position that former Alabama head coach Nick Saban believes carries significant weight for the Fighting Irish. Despite a 7-1 record, Notre Dame has yet to secure a victory over a ranked opponent this season, and its sole loss came in a controversial finish against BYU, the only ranked team it has faced.
Notre Dame will host No. 1 Miami on Saturday, a game Saban views as critical during his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Friday. He argued that the Irish will likely be excluded from the College Football Playoff if they fail to defeat the Hurricanes. "This is a huge game. Obviously, playing the No. 1 team in the country at home," Saban said, via a transcription from On3. "I think the game is kind of a must-win situation, because the College Football Playoff put them conveniently at No. 11. Conveniently means if they don't win, they may be on the outside looking in. Not saying they can't play their way back into it, but they don't have the strongest schedule to finish with. They wouldn't have any quality wins, which was a big issue last year."
Saban also expressed admiration for the team and its coach. "But I like their team and their defense. I like Marcus Freeman and the way he coaches this team, and the way he's been preparing their team to focus on the moment and not the outcome," he added.
Key Analysis
Notre Dame's remaining schedule includes games against Boston College, SMU, and Syracuse, all currently unranked. SMU fell out of the rankings this week after a Week 9 loss to Syracuse, but the Mustangs will host No. 16 Wake Forest on Nov. 14, and a win could propel them back into the rankings before facing Notre Dame on Nov. 21. The Irish were aware before the season that matchups against BYU and Miami were crucial for their playoff aspirations; having already stumbled against BYU, they must now leave no doubt against Miami to keep their hopes alive.
Originally reported by newsweek.