One Team Could Have An Unbelievably Easy Path Through College Football Playoff Under New Format

The College Football Playoff will significantly change in the upcoming season, expanding from a four-team playoff to a 12-team tournament.

In the new format, the quarterfinals will be played between seeds 5-12, with the higher seed hosting the playoff game. Seeds 1-4 will be the champions of the Power Four conferences. Additionally, one team from the Group of Five will be represented in the playoffs.

With the top four seeds in the playoffs being reserved for Power Four champions, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish can only be ranked as high as No. 5 since it's independent. This actually could significantly boost the Fighting Irish's chances of playing for a national championship.

The No. 5 seed might be the best position in the College Football Playoff. This is because the No. 5 team will have home-field advantage when hosting the No. 12 seed in the quarterfinals. The No. 12 team most likely would be the highest-ranked Group of Five team and is likely to be the easiest opponent in the quarterfinal games.

If the No. 5 seed wins, it will play the lowest-ranked Power Four conference champion in the semifinals. That means the No. 5 seed would theoretically play the easiest quarterfinal and semifinal games, giving that team the easiest route to the national championship.

So, even though many would be upset that their team can't be a top-four seed, this might actually work in favor of the Fighting Irish. Ultimately, it could lead to Notre Dame's 12th national championship.

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