CFB Playoff Watch List

Notre Dame fell to No. 6 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings. Despite beating Boston College, the Irish were passed by Oklahoma, Iowa and Michigan State.

That means Notre Dame is going to need some help to get into the playoffs. It all starts with beating Stanford. Outside of that, Notre Dame needs its past opponents to have some big wins - which improves Notre Dame's overall strength of schedule numbers - and it needs teams ranked directly in front of them and teams ranked behind them to lose this weekend.

There are a number of scenarios this weekend and next that will allow the Irish to get back in the Top 4, assuming it can beat Stanford, which will be extremely difficult.

Here is a look at the games to watch this weekend that have the most baring on Notre Dame making it to the CFB playoffs.

FRIDAY GAMES

#15 Navy Midshipmen (9-1) at Houston Cougars (10-1)

TIME: 12:00 PM ET

CHANNEL: ABC

LINE: Navy -4.0

ANALYSIS: Part of Notre Dame's drop has coincided with its drop in strength of schedule, which means the Irish need as many of its past opponents as possible to win. This is especially true of Notre Dame's two ranked opponents - Navy and Temple. The ideal scenario for the Irish is that both teams win and then have to face each other next weekend in the AAC championship game. That would give the Irish at least four former opponents in the title games next weekend. Navy is also Notre Dame's biggest win - at least in terms of opponent ranking. Keeping Navy in the Top 15 would benefit Notre Dame's resume. It would also continue to build Navy's resume, which in turn helps change the perception of Navy not being as good of a win as some of the name opponents teams like Oklahoma, Michigan State and Baylor currently have.

Miami Hurricanes (7-4) at Pittsburgh Panthers (8-3)

TIME: 12:00 PM ET

CHANNEL: ESPN2

LINE: Pitt -7.0

ANALYSIS: Right now Notre Dame and its resume needs a lot of help. Beating Stanford is obviously the biggest resume builder, but adding to its Top 25 victories would also be a huge help. Pittsburgh has won two in a row since getting thumped by the Irish. After beating Louisville by 11, the Panthers could be in position to jump into the Top 25 with a season-ending win at Miami. It would give the Irish one more Top 25 victory over Michigan State, improving its overall resume, assuming Temple also wins.

#4 Iowa Hawkeyes (11-0) at Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-6)

TIME: 3:30 PM ET

CHANNEL: ABC

LINE: Iowa -2.0

ANALYSIS: With Iowa passing Notre Dame in the polls, the Hawkeyes are now a team that Notre Dame fans have to root against with more ferocity than in previous weeks. The Hawkeyes are a good football team, of that there is little doubt. While they have played some quality teams this season, Iowa has not had the week-after-week grind that teams like Notre Dame, Alabama and even Michigan State have had this season. An Iowa loss would likely knock them behind an 11-1 Notre Dame, even if the Hawkeyes bounce back and win the Big 10 title next weekend. Simply put, Notre Dame needs the Cornhuskers - who are playing for their bowl lives - to pull off the upset and eliminate one more possible contender for the final two spots in the playoffs.

#7 Baylor Bears (9-1) at #19 TCU Horned Frogs (9-2)

TIME: 7:30 PM ET

CHANNEL: FOX

LINE: TCU -1.5

ANALYSIS: A week ago I would not have considered Baylor a legitimate playoff contender. Not with the ridiculously terrible schedule it played the first eight games and the fact its starting quarterback was out for the season. Then the committee went and dropped Notre Dame three spots despite being on a 6-game winning streak. Now all bets are off. Who knows how the committee would react to a Baylor win over a ranked TCU team and a win next weekend against Texas. Apparently beating TCU - even if only by one point at home without their starting QB and best receiver - is huge to the committee. For the Irish, a TCU win takes care of all that. Baylor will be playing without injured QB Jarrett Stidham, turning now to third-stringer Chris Johnson. TCU gets Trevone Boykin back and has a little payback on its mind after Baylor beat the Horned Frogs 61-58 last season.

SATURDAY GAMES

#8 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-1) at #10 Michigan Wolverines (9-2)

TIME: 12:00 PM ET

CHANNEL: ABC

LINE: OSU -1.0

ANALYSIS: Ohio State should not still be in contention, not after last week. The Buckeyes played 10 straight games against average to below average opponents and lost at home the first time they were challenged. What followed was an implosion in the locker room. Having said that, they are still Ohio State, they still have Urban Meyer as their head coach and the committee is unpredictable right now. A Michigan victory over Ohio State would eliminate one potential team that could leap Notre Dame should the Irish win and the Spartans lose. It might hurt some Notre Dame fans to actually pull for the Wolverines, but a Michigan win over Ohio State helps the Irish cause.

#22 UCLA Bruins (8-3) at USC Trojans (7-4)

TIME: 3:30 PM ET

CHANNEL: ABC/ESPN2

LINE: USC -3.0

ANALYSIS: USC cannot help Notre Dame out as much now as it could have last week with a win over Oregon. The banged up Trojans gave a valiant effort, but in the end the Ducks whipped them 48-28. USC is likely not going to get back into the Top 25 unless it is able to not only beat UCLA, but also Stanford in the Pac 12 title game. If that happens, the Trojans might knock out the Cardinal, who would have lost three of four, washing out any advantage in regards to Top 25 opponents. Where a win by USC over UCLA would help is to improve Notre Dame's strength of schedule and to potentially give the Irish a fifth opponent playing for a conference championship next weekend. It is not going to be the end-all in regards to how the committee views Notre Dame, but it's just one more positive step.

#2 Alabama Crimson Tide (10-1) at Auburn Tigers (6-5)

TIME: 3:30 PM ET

CHANNEL: CBS

LINE: Alabama -14.5

ANALYSIS: At this point Notre Dame needs as much help as it can get. That means Irish fans need to cheer for anything to happen, even things like Auburn upsetting Alabama. The Crimson Tide would likely be dropped behind an 11-1 Notre Dame, even if Alabama wins the SEC title a week later. The odds of a 6-5 Auburn team beating the hottest team in the country are very, very slim. This is especially true when one considers how bad the Auburn offense has been this season. Auburn's only possible bright spot is the fact its run defense has improved in recent weeks. Of course, that is negated by the fact its offense continues to stink and will be going against the best front seven in college football.

Penn State Nittany Lions (7-4) at #5 Michigan State Spartans (10-1)

TIME: 3:30 PM ET

CHANNEL: ESPN

LINE: MSU -10.5

ANALYSIS: Could the Spartans have a let down after knocking off the defending champions last weekend? It's possibly, but highly unlikely. Mark Dantonio has built a program that has lost just four games in the last three seasons. You don't build that kind of resume if you aren't able to be focused week after week, so expect the Spartans to be ready to play. That doesn't mean Penn State can't beat the Spartans if it can catch a few breaks. Penn State has a quality front seven and could give the banged up Michigan State offensive line some problems, assuming Carl Nassib is able to play. The concern for the Nittany Lions is the fact its own offensive line could have problems against Michigan State. Regardless of the matchup, Notre Dame fans should be rooting for Penn State this weekend.

Connecticut Huskies (6-5) at #25 Temple Owls (9-2)

TIME: 7:00 PM ET

CHANNEL: ESPNU

LINE: Temple -13.0

ANALYSIS: Temple jumped back in the Top 25 after beating then No. 21 Memphis 31-12 last weekend. The Owls control their own destiny in the American. A win over UConn puts the Owls in the title game against either Navy or Houston. Notre Dame needs Temple to win this weekend, setting up a ranked vs. ranked matchup in the AAC title game. Temple winning would give Notre Dame at least three ranked opponents in the Top 25 and would give the Irish another past opponent playing for a conference championship next weekend.

#3 Oklahoma Sooners (10-1) at #11 Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-1)

TIME: 8:00 PM ET

CHANNEL: ABC

LINE: Oklahoma -7.0

ANALYSIS: Oklahoma is the country's hottest team, at least in the eyes of the committee. Getting to play four average to bad opponents in the month following your only loss helps you get ready to play and beat good teams. Notre Dame needs Oklahoma to lose this weekend. There is likely no scenario where the Irish could pass a team ranked three spots ahead of them if that team goes on the road and beats the No. 11 team in the country. Regardless of how Notre Dame plays against Stanford, an Oklahoma win keeps the Sooners ahead of the Irish. That means Notre Dame fans need the Cowboys to knock their rival out of the playoff hunt.