Notre Dame has lost all chances of securing the ideal College Football Playoff spot

By beating Texas A&M earlier in the season, Notre Dame had the best chance of securing a great playoff spot, perhaps even the coveted 5th spot, which would include a home game in South Bend and the “easiest” draw in terms of matchups.

This advantage lasted for one week. Now Notre Dame cannot afford to lose again to secure a place in the playoffs.

Could the Irish go into the field 10-2? It’s possible, but not certain, and it would also mean a very uncomfortable away environment in Round 1 and tougher group matches. That’s a tough road for the Irish and one they would prefer to avoid.

Can Notre Dame win the rest of the game? How about a score of 10-2?

I know Notre Dame fans aren’t in the mood to hear this because they think it’s unlikely after today’s performance, but the Irish could be at the top of the standings from here on out. Assuming they do that, or even go 10-2, how will the committee view this loss? There’s no evidence to consider yet. This is uncharted territory.

Could the opponent of this loss and the circumstances that accompanied it significantly affect Notre Dame’s ranking? Perhaps it will negate the possibility of 5th place at 11-1?

Could this loss keep a 10-2 Irish team out of the playoffs when compared to a Big 10 or SEC team with the same record but less bad losses? That depends. A lot of factors, some of which are in Notre Dame’s control and some of which are not.

This loss stings now, and Notre Dame fans hope they won’t suffer from it again at the end of the season. More than that, they hope they can get this problem under control in the first place by limiting losses for the rest of the season.

Notre Dame football fans, really, all is well after the loss to NIU (maybe)

For more Irish news and notes, follow John on Twitter at @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on YouTube or your favourite audio podcast provider.