Why Notre Dame Deserves to Leapfrog Penn State in the CFP Rankings—And Why the Committee Might Disagree

The fourth College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday and things at the top were unchanged from the week previous.

Notre Dame checked in fifth, one spot behind Penn State again. The current No. 5 ranking would be high enough to bring a first round home game, but with automatic top four bids going to a pair of conference champions behind Notre Dame would mean the tournament seed would be as the No. 7 team, not No. 5.

That would mean a date with No. 2, likely the SEC champion, in the Second Round. That’s certainly not an unwinnable matchup, but given the choice one would rather see Miami, SMU, Boise State, Arizona State, or someone of the like.

What Penn State Has That Notre Dame Doesn’t

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) celebrates a first down run beside Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Kobe King (41) during the NCAA football game at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. Ohio State won 20-13. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Looking at resumes, Penn State’s is rather lacking, despite the 10-1 mark. It’s only win over a currently ranked team is over No. 23 Illinois, who it beat 21-7 early in the year. What Penn State has that Notre Dame doesn’t though, is no bad loss. Penn State rolled its out-of-conference slate and didn’t have a slip like the Irish did against Northern Illinois.

Perhaps the single biggest selling point of Penn State over Notre Dame right now is that the Nittany Lions played Ohio State closely, despite holding a 10-0 lead in that contest against the Buckeyes.

What Notre Dame Has That Penn State Doesn’t

Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Notre Dame’s win over Texas A&M remains its biggest victory of the season. The Aggies falling at Auburn certainly didn’t help Notre Dame’s resume this past week, but it remains a better win than the big one that Penn State had over Illinois.

Notre Dame’s schedule was supposed to be tougher this season but flops by Florda State and USC have stunted that. That sets up how Notre Dame can theoretically catch Penn State this week.

How Can Notre Dame Catch Penn State in College Football Playoff Rankings?

Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and his players sing the Notre Dame alma mater after a win against the Army Black Knights at Yankee Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

This Saturday is the second time this season Notre Dame will play a common opponent of USC. The Irish blasted Purdue 66-7 while Purdue beat the Boilermakers 45-7. Technically that’s an advantage for the Irish but let’s not pretend that either struggled against one of the worst teams in Power Four football.

This week brings that second opponent that both have faced as Notre Dame takes on USC. Penn State came back to stun USC with an overtime victory at the Los Angeles Coliseum earlier this year.

If all other things remain as even as they look now, Notre Dame beating USC handily would theoretically bump the Irish over Penn State as the Nittany Lions play Maryland (4-7) on Saturday.