Midseason has arrived, and Notre Dame is right back in the same uncomfortable conversation it heard last year: what happens if the Irish trip over the playoff line again under Marcus Freeman?
Saturday night’s loss at BYU pushed Notre Dame back two spots to No. 4, but the bigger hit came to its playoff path. The Fighting Irish dropped out of the first of three chances this season to build a resume strong enough to leave no doubt with the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
That matters because the calendar now points straight toward Nov. 7, when Notre Dame hosts unbeaten, top-ranked Miami in a game that has carried massive weight since the summer and now means even more with the Irish sitting at one loss.
It also raises the same question that hovered over this program a year ago: how will the committee view Notre Dame if it goes 0-for-2 in the biggest games on the schedule, then finds itself fighting for inclusion the way it did before Freeman’s team was left out of the playoff and wound up opting out of a bowl?
“Everybody’s got to hold themselves accountable during this process,” Freeman said Saturday night ahead of Notre Dame’s open date before Navy on Oct. 31. “We'll be ready.”
The Irish are not falling apart analytically. Their numbers still stack up well enough to stay in the conversation.
Notre Dame ranks fourth nationally in game control, 14th in strength of record and 42nd in strength of schedule. That last number is actually better than several teams that are very much in the mix, including UCLA at 51st, Miami at 58th and Texas Tech at 82nd.
Still, the margin for error has shrunk. Another loss would take Notre Dame out of control of its own fate and force it to rely on the committee if it finishes 10-2 and gets tangled in a crowded pack of teams with similar records and resumes that may look stronger on paper.
There is one built-in benefit Notre Dame has that some other at-large hopefuls don’t: a contractual safety net. Beginning in 2026, the Irish are guaranteed a CFP berth if they finish in the committee’s top 12. Athletic director Pete Bevacqua said that protection comes from the memorandum of understanding signed in spring 2025.
Because Notre Dame is independent, it does not have to worry about a conference title game requirement, and automatic qualifiers cannot knock it out if it reaches that top-12 line. That means there’s no Selection Sunday panic if the Irish get to 11 wins. There’s even a path where 10 could be enough if SMU remains ranked and arrives in South Bend at 9-1 in late November.
For now, though, the formula is simple. Win out, and the playoff conversation becomes easy. The chance at a top-four seed and first-round bye may have slipped away in Provo, but Notre Dame’s larger goals are still alive with five games left.
The picture gets messier if the Irish stumble again, even with two wins over ranked teams mixed in with a late-season upset loss. That kind of résumé would look better to the committee than the first two options, especially since there are not many teams out there with multiple top-25 wins right now.
And the landscape around Notre Dame keeps tightening. BYU’s win also helped push the Big 12 to three unbeaten teams at midseason, which sets up the conference to become a two-bid league and adds pressure on other at-large contenders from the SEC, Big 12 and Notre Dame.
The bracket format is unchanged: four automatic bids for Power Four champions, one for the Group of Six’s highest-ranked team and seven at-large spots. Notre Dame is chasing one of those seven.
The cleanest way in is the only way that leaves no room for debate. Win the rest.
In Other News...
BYUs UCF Test Suddenly Looks Very Different At Quarterback
UCFs quarterback picture for the BYU game has shifted enough to change how the matchup should be viewed heading into the week. Alonza Barnett III, who has been working back from a hamstring injury, is reportedly not expected to start, and coach Scott Frost has made it clear the staff is taking a careful approach with his recovery. Steve Cooper said Barnett has returned to practice on a limited basis, but his status remains up in the air.
For BYU, that adds a new layer to a road test that already had plenty of intrigue. Preparing for one quarterback is one thing, but the Cougars now have to account for a situation that could look different by kickoff, depending on how UCF handles Barnetts availability. Frosts emphasis on avoiding a setback suggests the Knights are thinking long term, even if that leaves some uncertainty for a game that suddenly feels a little less settled. [Read more 🡒]
Bear Bachmeiers Breakout Just Took A Strange Turn After BYUs Upset
Bear Bachmeiers rise went from the center of BYUs biggest win of the season to an unexpected conversation topic almost as soon as the Cougars left the field. After helping BYU knock off No. 2 Notre Dame, 28-24, and move to 6-0, the freshman quarterback suddenly found himself attached to a broadcast-side anecdote that had little to do with the upset itself and a lot to do with how quickly his name is spreading beyond Provo.
The odd detour comes on the heels of Bachmeier also saying Notre Dame disrespected him and his family during his recruitment, adding another layer to a story that already had enough emotion wrapped around it. BYU has the kind of marquee win that can change the tone of a season, but in Bachmeiers case, the attention now extends well beyond the football field, with one loose, unconfirmed comment threatening to become part of the fallout from an otherwise statement-making night. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Crowd Watched One Student Turn Pregame Nerves Into A Fortune
Long before the first snaps of the night, one BYU student turned a routine pregame promotion into the kind of scene people at LaVell Edwards Stadium wont forget soon. Carter Smith, 21, stepped into Pat McAfees Kicking Is Easy contest and came through on his second field goal attempt, a pressure-packed swing that suddenly made him the center of attention for everyone in the building.
The result was life-changing, with Smith walking away $3 million richer and instantly drawing widespread recognition. Even with that kind of windfall, his plans remain grounded in the classroom and beyond it, as he intends to keep working toward his education and a future career in dentistry. [Read more 🡒]