The latest College Football Playoff rankings are out, and while Notre Dame handled its business with a dominant 49-20 win over Stanford, the Selection Committee wasn’t exactly wowed. The Fighting Irish slid one spot to No. 10 in the fourth rankings of the 2025 season - a move that’s raised some eyebrows, especially considering how hot this team has been down the stretch.
Let’s be clear: Notre Dame is surging. After an 0-2 start, Marcus Freeman’s squad has rattled off 10 straight wins, most of them in convincing fashion.
That includes a 34-24 victory over USC back in October, a win that’s aged pretty well given the Trojans are still hanging around at No. 16.
And yet, despite that momentum, Notre Dame finds itself on the outside looking in as we head into conference championship weekend.
The Irish still have a path to the 12-team playoff, but it’s not entirely in their hands. A key domino is the Big 12 Championship Game, where No.
6 Texas Tech takes on No. 11 BYU.
If the Red Raiders win, that could crack the door open for Notre Dame. But even that might not be enough.
CFP Chair Hunter Yurachek made it clear that “idle teams can move following the results of the championship weekend,” which is a not-so-subtle reminder that nothing is guaranteed. That comment looms especially large when you consider No.
12 Miami - the same Miami team that edged Notre Dame 27-24 in Week 1 - is lurking right behind. Neither team plays this weekend, but the head-to-head could weigh heavily in the committee room.
Marcus Freeman, for his part, is making the case for his team. And he’s not wrong.
“You talk about a team that is probably playing as well as anyone right now,” Freeman said. “We’ve won 10 straight games in a row.
I think all of them by double-digit points, maybe. And you want the 12 best teams.
Now I know you have the conference champions and the Group of Five highest-ranked team, but you talk about who are the best teams now. Not Week 1.
Now, and it’s hard to argue we aren’t one of those teams.”
That’s the heart of the debate: how much does the committee weigh early-season results versus how a team is playing right now? Because if we’re talking about the best teams at this moment, Notre Dame absolutely belongs in that conversation. They’ve been efficient, explosive, and resilient - all the qualities you want in a playoff team.
If the rankings hold, Notre Dame would be headed to College Station for a first-round rematch with No. 7 Texas A&M.
That Week 3 matchup was a thriller, with the Aggies escaping 41-40 after a late Notre Dame miscue on an extra point. It was the kind of game that sticks in your memory - high stakes, high drama, and a razor-thin margin.
A rematch would bring plenty of intrigue, especially with how much both teams have evolved since that early-season clash.
Here’s how the top of the rankings shake out heading into championship weekend:
- Ohio State
- Indiana
- Georgia
- Texas Tech
- Oregon
- Ole Miss
- Texas A&M*
- Oklahoma
- Alabama
- Notre Dame
- BYU
- Miami*
(*Denotes a 2025 Notre Dame opponent)
Notre Dame’s résumé is a mixed bag on paper - two early losses, but a strong finish and a schedule that includes matchups against four teams currently ranked in the top 16. The question now is whether that’s enough to overcome the committee’s emphasis on conference championships and head-to-head results.
So here we are, waiting on championship weekend to sort things out. The Irish can’t add to their résumé, but their fate is still very much in play. If chaos hits in the right places - and Texas Tech handles business - Notre Dame could find itself with a shot at redemption and a chance to prove Freeman right: that this team isn’t just hot, it’s one of the best 12 in the country.
And if that rematch with Texas A&M does happen? Buckle up. There’s unfinished business in College Station.