I linked to it a few posts up but their current probability for ND to make the playoffs is 24%.
To be fair, that also incorporates the odds that we lose to BC and or Stanfurd. Last time I checked, Stanfurd was slightly favored by most advanced metrics, but we'll go ahead and call it a coinflip...
That means Silver's site actually is saying that there's a (slightly greater than) 50% chance we make the playoffs
if we win out. In about 50% of scenarios, we don't even get to that discussion, in the 50% of scenarios where we do win out we get picked half the time.
That strikes me as about right. I really think it's a coin flip in-between us and an 11-1 Oklahoma and that the Ohio St (or Iowa)/Alabama/Clemson/Okie St situation is a loser for us. There's also a bunch of scenarios where we get in no matter what (think Bama losing to Auburn and Florida losing to Florida St).
edit: I can't see how you can possibly think people are being negative for trying to work out what will happen in different scenarios. I think we have a good chance at getting in if we win out, but people are kidding themselves if they don't think we're the most likely candidate to get TCUed this year.