As we do on a regular basis, we check and see where others view the 2020 Notre Dame season ending up this postseason.
We follow the CBS projections as well as those from USA TODAY with regularity and I’m sure will take a look at what CFN, ESPN and others project here before long.
The CBS projections are at the point they’re getting frustrating for this Notre Dame follower, however.
This week Jerry Palm of CBS again projects Notre Dame to end the season in Orlando for the Cheez-It Bowl and has their opponent an interesting one in 2-2 Oklahoma.
However, it’s what he has bumping Notre Dame down that has me a bit confused.
Let’s start with the College Football Playoff where Palm puts Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama and Oregon.
Obviously what we’ve seen early on the Clemson pick as well as an SEC representative is a logical answer.
Ohio State might bring some debate but with them having to play eight regular season games and a ninth in the conference championship. Personally, I’m on the record of being fine with a 9-0 Ohio State squad getting in.
However, Oregon, really?
The PAC-12 is set to play just six regular season games with those in the conference championship game getting a seventh. Are we going to act like a 7-0 Oregon team, playing in what’s perceived to be one of the two weakest Power Five conferences this season, is worthy of a CFP bid?
I often think that too much gets made of one team playing one more game than another when it comes to debating who is worthy of a playoff spot. But we’re talking about a Pac-12 team who will have played five fewer games than the ACC Champion or runner up and four fewer than the SEC Champion and runner up.
You can’t convince me that Oregon winning every game by completely dominating even gets them in the conversation, let alone in.
The other part is interesting to me is that despite Clemson beating the doors off of Miami this past weekend, the Palm projection still calls for the Hurricanes to end up in the Orange Bowl.
That leads to Notre Dame again then heading to Orlando for the Cheez-It Bowl, a trip they’d prefer to not make seeing as two of their past three seasons have ended there as well as in 2011.
It’d be one thing if it was regular trips to the Rose Bowl or Orange Bowl but the Champs Sports turned Camping World turned Cheez-It Bowl doesn’t qualify for that.
As compelling of an opponent as Oklahoma would be, I think I speak for Notre Dame fans everywhere when I say:
(almost) ANYWHERE BUT ORLANDO AGAIN!
