Where did College Football Playoff Committee rank Notre Dame in first ballot of 2023?
SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football found out how the College Football Playoff Selection Committee views its season thus far, and its ranking was significantly lower than it was in the latest coaches and media polls.
The Irish (7-2) were ranked No. 15 Tuesday evening when the 13-member CFP committee announced its first of six weekly ratings leading up to Bowl Selection Sunday on Dec. 3.
Ranked 12th this week in the Associated Press and US LBM Coaches polls, Notre Dame plays at unranked Clemson (4-4) on Saturday.
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The highest-ranked two-loss team in both national polls, the Irish were leapfrogged by 6-2 LSU in the CFP ranking and must still ward off two-loss programs Oregon State, Utah, Tennessee and UCLA.
Notre Dame’s only losses came at home on Sept. 23 against unbeaten Ohio State (17-14) and at No. 13 Louisville (33-20) on Oct. 7.
The Buckeyes, who clipped the Irish at the wire and won convincingly over 11th-ranked Penn State at home, were rewarded with the initial No. 1 ranking in the CFP ahead of two-time defending national champion Georgia at No. 2.
After going 2-2 against a four-game gauntlet of ranked foes at night, Notre Dame ripped Pittsburgh 58-7 at home on Saturday. Louisville followed up its field-storming win over the Irish with a 38-21 loss at Pittsburgh (2-6), which outscored the Cardinals 24-0 in the second half.
"Head-to-head (result) is really important, but there’s so many other factors that are going to play in," CFP committee chair Boo Corrigan said on ESPN.
On a subsequent conference call with reporters, Corrigan was asked about the disparity in the two Pittsburgh outcomes for Louisville and Notre Dame. Corrigan, the athletic director at N.C. State, also watched first-hand home losses for the Wolfpack against Louisville (13-10) and Notre Dame (45-24).
"I think head to head is always going to be a factor," Corrigan said, noting the committee viewed both the Irish and the 7-1 Cardinals as "really good football teams."
Corrigan also noted the "additional loss" Notre Dame had against the Buckeyes, but didn't directly address a reference to the controversial ending in which the Irish defense was a man short on the final two goal-line plays.
"We talked a great deal about the Louisville win over Notre Dame," Corrigan said. "The Pitt game for Louisville, their running back (Jawhar Jordan), I think he ended up with two carries (for eight yards) and was out. But looking at the total body of work, we were more comfortable as a group with Louisville ahead of Notre Dame."
Jordan torched Notre Dame for 143 rushing yards (on 21 carries) and two touchdowns.
Notre Dame is the only CFP-ranked opponent Louisville has faced this season. The Irish also blasted 20th-ranked USC 48-20 on Oct. 14. Duke, which was ranked No. 17 at the time of Notre Dame's road win in the final minute, did not make the initial CFP Top 25.
Should the Irish win their final three regular-season games, including Wake Forest (4-4) on Senior Day and Stanford (2-6) on the road, a New Year’s Six bowl invitation still appears possible but outside help will be required.
Heading into Tuesday's reveal, several national outlets projected a Notre Dame-Alabama meeting in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at noon on Dec. 30. That would mark Notre Dame’s first appearance in the Atlanta-based bowl game.
One ESPN projection pegged the Irish for a Pop-Tarts Bowl meeting on Dec. 28 in Orlando against Oklahoma State, their Fiesta Bowl opponent in Marcus Freeman’s first game as head coach.
The remaining New Year’s Six bowls not part of the final four-team College Football Playoff are the Cotton, Orange and Fiesta bowls.
This is the last season of the four-team FBS playoff structure that started in 2014. A 12-team playoff that includes first-round games on campus sites begins with the 2024 season.
First College Football Playoff Rankings
Oct. 31, 2023
1. Ohio State 8-0
2. Georgia 8-0
3. Michigan 8-0
4. Florida State 8-0
5. Washington 8-0
6. Oregon 7-1
7. Texas 7-1
8. Alabama 7-1
9. Oklahoma 7-1
10. Mississippi 7-1
11. Penn State 7-1
12. Missouri 7-1
13. Louisville 7-1
14. LSU 6-2
15. Notre Dame 7-2
16. Oregon State 6-2
17. Tennessee 6-2
18. Utah 6-2
19. UCLA 6-2
20. Southern Cal 7-2
21. Kansas 6-2
22. Oklahoma State 6-2
23. Kansas State 6-2
24. Tulane 7-1
25. Air Force 8-0
Follow Notre Dame football writer Mike Berardino on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Where did College Football Playoff Committee rank Notre Dame?
