It pretty much goes without saying but if Notre Dame is to win on Saturday then their path to the College Football Playoff for the second time in program history becomes much more manageable.
A loss however and there will be a lot of work to be done.
Is it a “must win” in terms of their College Football Playoff chances?
Kirk Herbstreit wasn’t ready to use those exact words on Tuesday night, but was clear in stating what Notre Dame must do in order to keep their playoff chances alive, even if they don’t win.
“I don’t want to say it doesn’t matter to Clemson, but I think all eyes are on Notre Dame. When’s the last time Notre Dame won a game of this magnitude? I mean, think about it. I think that perception is real. Right now, they’re on this big of a stage, and they’ve got to take advantage of this opportunity.”
“It’s not an elimination game if Notre Dame competes and wins, or if Notre Dame plays like it did in Athens last year. If they lose, and they get blown out, it’s an elimination game for me. They’re gone. That’s my opinion, and I guess I’m assuming if they get blown out that they won’t go to Charlotte beat Clemson there.
“How Notre Dame looks on this big of a stage is a big deal to their perception because if they get blown out, they’re going to get behind a lot of teams. They’re going to be fighting to get into that No. 4 spot.”
-Kirk Herbstreit on ESPN’s College Football Preview Show this past Tuesday.
The logic makes plenty of sense as it’s hard to imagine Notre Dame coming back and beating Clemson with Trevor Lawrence in the ACC Championship Game if they can’t get by the Tigers sans Lawrence in South Bend this Saturday.
That said, if Notre Dame were to win out and shock the world by knocking off Lawrence in Charlotte, I have real trouble believing the Irish wouldn’t be one of the last four standing, regardless of what happens elsewhere and that’s partly because of the limited games for both the Big Ten and Pac-12 who will have to do some convincing to some in order to earn a playoff spot.