USA TODAY’s projection of the College Football Playoff isn’t great for Notre Dame

The loss to Northern Illinois is going to haunt the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team through this year and beyond.

Many will look back at it as a lost opportunity to make the first 12-team college football playoff field, if the Irish are unable to get in. Paul Myerberg of the USA TODAY believes that Notre Dame won’t get a chance to compete for a national championship this fall.

He names Georgia, Ohio State, Miami (FL), and Kansas State in order as his four Power-5 teams to earn a bye. Myerberg see the rest of the field shaking out with Texas, Penn State, Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon, Clemson, Utah and Memphis also in order as the other participants.

While he doesn’t name the Irish into his top-12 teams, he did name them as one of the first-four out. Myerberg says that “it will be hard for Notre Dame to shake off the stink of the loss to Northern Illinois,” which could ultimately be the case.

As we have noted before, the Irish have a very slim window to make the CFP, and unfortunately Myerberg is backing up that idea.

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