2024 College Football Playoffs

[NDRock]

Said earlier this week that Bama fans hanging out by default on an ND board is weird and kind of sad, but worse is seeing their program like this. We all agree CFB is better when Alabama is in the top echelon, hoping they move past this hire and get back sooner rather than later.

Worst take I’ve seen all week.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

The more I watch all the SEC teams this year, the less I'm impressed with their ability to stay strong throughout any given game.

It’s almost like NIL has brought some parity to the landscape.

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

The back end of the field is still wide open

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

What teams are ranked versus how they are seeded is really gonna piss people off. If SmU wins ACC they will get a first round bye and be seeded 4th. Could be Clemson as well.

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

The first round is scheduled for the weekend of Dec 20th. There is really no reason to wait an extra week between conf champ and start of playoffs

 

[stpeteirish]

It will be Bama. lol.

You’re forgetting the Big12 champion They will almost certainly be the #12 seed. Bama will be rated higher than all four of those teams and Boise is currently positioned to get one of the four byes

 

[LifelongFan]

You’re forgetting the Big12 champion They will almost certainly be the #12 seed.

Or Tulane. A couple upsets and the Big 12 could be snubbed.

 

[DillonHall]

Are all of the Power 4 conference champions guaranteed a Playoff spot?

 

[Ndaccountant]

Are all of the Power 4 conference champions guaranteed a Playoff spot?

No. I could be mistaken, but believe it's the top 5 conference champions. Theoretically, you could have two G5

 

[allenm5333]

espn has us jumping penn state and being the 6 seed against SMU...winner plays Miami. Sign me up

 

[Irishdawg]

Sec chaos is here… UGA backs into the championship game against UT or A&M. If they lose that’ll be 3 loses? Are they in for being in championship game or out 2 years in a row after losing in SEC championship game?

 

[Free Manera]

The travesty of it all is UGA will win that game and get a freaking bye. The byes gotta go.

 

[stlnd01]

espn has us jumping penn state and being the 6 seed against SMU...winner plays Miami. Sign me up

I'd rather that than The Athletic's bracket, which has us 8th and playing Indiana, who we'd maul but then we'd draw Oregon. (Feels like The Athletic's model overvalues the Big 10 though. Penn State shouldn't be 6th and Indiana's a reach at 9.)

 

[notredomer23]

ND has a 66% chance of making the playoff with a loss to USC per ESPN’s playoff predictor

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

The travesty of it all is UGA will win that game and get a freaking bye. The byes gotta go.

I was thinking about this but it’s possible that a conference championship game loser can still be in the playoffs and have to play a first round game after they lost the championship game meaning they will play one extra game relative to everyone else.

For example let’s say UGa is highly ranked and plays LsU in the championship game. LSU wins and gets the bye but UGa doesn’t drop out of playoffs and gets seeded into a first round (probably road) game. If they run the playoffs they will have played one extra game than everyone else.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

I’m honestly getting excited about the potential to win the whole thing this year. Best SC and let’s go. I don’t know how we would do against Oregon but anyone else…. I really like our chances.

 

[NDFAN2008]

I’m honestly getting excited about the potential to win the whole thing this year. Best SC and let’s go. I don’t know how we would do against Oregon but anyone else…. I really like our chances.

Depends how our offense does I don’t think anyone can stop love

 

[irish4ever]

I have a feeling the skunk bears are going to pull off the miracle upset next week against the sucknuts.

That's almost funny! NOT gonna happen when playing in the BIG championship game on the line.

 

[irish4ever]

espn has us jumping penn state and being the 6 seed against SMU...winner plays Miami. Sign me up

Not that I have a clue what the committee will do, but I have ND jumping P$U too. My model thru yesterday's results would have ND at home as #6 seed against IU Loosiers ...

RECORD RANK TEAM Next Opponent SEED CONF.

11-0	1	ORE	WASH	30-Nov		1	BIG
10-1	2	O$U	scUM	30-Nov		5	BIG
10-1	3	TEXAS	@ TA&M	30-Nov		2	SEC
10-1	4	ND	@ U$C	30-Nov		6	IND
10-1	5	PSU	MARYLAND	30-Nov		7	BIG
10-1	6	MIAMI	@ Syracuse	30-Nov		3	ACC
9-2	7	UGA	GT	29-Nov		8	SEC
9-2	8	TENN.	@ Vandy	30-Nov		9	SEC
10-1	9	BOSIE ST.	ORE. ST.	29-Nov		4	MT. WEST
10-1	10	SMU	CAL	30-Nov		10	ACC
10-1	11	IU	PURDUE	30-Nov		11	BIG
9-2	12	BYU	HOUSTON	30-Nov		12	BIG 12
9-2	13	CLEMSON	SO. CAR	30-Nov			ACC
9-2	14	ARIZ. ST.	@ Arizona	30-Nov			BIG 12

 

[NDMD]

espn has us jumping penn state and being the 6 seed against SMU...winner plays Miami. Sign me up

There is a bot that posts on reddit using previous CFP rankings & machine learning to predict the next ranking, also has ND at #6

What we need to root for is OSU to get nuked by Oregon in the Big Ten CCG so they fall behind us to get #5.

#6 seed isn't bad either, we would get still get the ACC champ

 

[NDpendent]

ND has a 66% chance of making the playoff with a loss to USC per ESPN’s playoff predictor

F that. Let's hang fiddy on those little bitches

 

[stlnd01]

There is a bot that posts on reddit using previous CFP rankings & machine learning to predict the next ranking, also has ND at #6

What we need to root for is OSU to get nuked by Oregon in the Big Ten CCG so they fall behind us to get #5.

#6 seed isn't bad either, we would get still get the ACC champ

The only thing we can control is beating the tar out of USC. If we beat them by, say, 20, and Penn State beat them by three, I don't really see what the argument would be for placing Penn State ahead of us.

 

[ndfanatic78]

That's almost funny! NOT gonna happen when playing in the BIG championship game on the line.

OSU is soft.

 

[NDMD]

The only thing we can control is beating the tar out of USC. If we beat them by, say, 20, and Penn State beat them by three, I don't really see what the argument would be for placing Penn State ahead of us.

Already bought my home game tickets (and got 3 different refundable hotel reservations that weekend, lol)

 

[NDPhilly]

2025 College Football Power Index - ESPN

View the 2025 College Football power index on ESPN. The FPI is the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season.

www.espn.com

ND up to 24.7 and #3 in FPI, and only 1.8 away from #1 Texas. The highest ranking FPI # for ND in the 20 year history of the metric AND the closest we’ve been to number one.

Watching the best ND team in ~30 years. Enjoy it.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

ND is also now 2nd on Sagarin (to Ohio State).

 

[TallyHoND]

Already bought my home game tickets (and got 3 different refundable hotel reservations that weekend, lol)

Any advice on where to find home playoff tickets?

 

[NDWarrior]

Ok, here are my thoughts for the program with USC up next and the team on the precipice of a CFP berth in the new 12-team format:

• I hope MFMF and coaches keep doing what they’ve been doing for game prep and don’t let this stuff get to the players’ heads
• Please take USC seriously - This is their SB and just about top rivalry game, they’re at home, and they’ve got nothing to lose
• For the potential playoff opportunity, I do fear an IU-like effect against OSU yesterday where there is so much confidence because we’ve been road stomping teams, but let’s bh, blowouts (it’s been great to see these!) or not, since TAMU, we haven’t played a real top CFB contender this season, so that worries me going into a Round 1 game, say with SMU - This would be a first playoff game for MFMF and team and then throw in being off for 3 weeks and final exams distractions
• I do have some confidence about overcoming this effect when I recall a few games this year, where ND has had a slow start, but then made good adjustments (esp. on D) and kicked it into high gear and left the other team in the dust!
• I do have concerns about Denbrock trying to shove RL across the line repeatedly after Army kept stuffing us, especially when we have all these pass-catching weapons across the O; but on more thought, maybe ND is trying to throw off future opponents and will entirely change this up in a playoff game
• Very impressed with ND’s depth and how they’ve been able to overcome injuries to top players, especially on D
• *** Most worrisome is the damn kicking game! We need to figure this out or this could be the difference in a close game, where The Irish lose a game we otherwise should have won

 

[GowerND11]

Can someone explain how SMU clinched a spot in the ACC championship game? Is it through the transitive property? Because if SMU were to lose this week, they’d have the same record as Clemson and Miami (assuming Miami wins too).

So what is the criteria for the ACC?

 

[Irish du Nord]

Ok, here are my thoughts for the program with USC up next and the team on the precipice of a CFP berth in the new 12-team format:

• I hope MFMF and coaches keep doing what they’ve been doing for game prep and don’t let this stuff get to the players’ heads
• Please take USC seriously - This is their SB and just about top rivalry game, they’re at home, and they’ve got nothing to lose
• For the potential playoff opportunity, I do fear an IU-like effect against OSU yesterday where there is so much confidence because we’ve been road stomping teams, but let’s bh, blowouts (it’s been great to see these!) or not, since TAMU, we haven’t played a real top CFB contender this season, so that worries me going into a Round 1 game, say with SMU - This would be a first playoff game for MFMF and team and then throw in being off for 3 weeks and final exams distractions
• I do have some confidence about overcoming this effect when I recall a few games this year, where ND has had a slow start, but then made good adjustments (esp. on D) and kicked it into high gear and left the other team in the dust!
• I do have concerns about Denbrock trying to shove RL across the line repeatedly after Army kept stuffing us, especially when we have all these pass-catching weapons across the O; but on more thought, maybe ND is trying to throw off future opponents and will entirely change this up in a playoff game
• Very impressed with ND’s depth and how they’ve been able to overcome injuries to top players, especially on D
• *** Most worrisome is the damn kicking game! We need to figure this out or this could be the difference in a close game, where The Irish lose a game we otherwise should have won

I think the real IU effect is that they are an okay team that has been fortunate to not play a better than .500 team until week 13