Maybe it wouldn’t have changed the heartbreak that unfolded in the final seconds at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night, but the ninth-ranked Irish could love a do-over of getting to play defense on the final two plays with a full complement of 11 players.

Instead, the fact that sixth-ranked Ohio State’s incomplete pass into the end zone, followed by a one-yard plunge by 233-pound converted linebacker Chip Trayanum as time seemingly expired came against only 10 ND defenders adds to the hangover Irish head coach Marcus Freeman must assuage over the next six days.

The officials, after review, put one second back on the clock.

Ohio State (4-0), meanwhile, only emerges with an inside track toward a College Football berth but with as many as two more Top 10 showdowns still to come following its 17-14 survival Saturday night.

Notre Dame (4-1) still has a path, but it narrowed considerably on Saturday night. The best news is the Irish didn’t fail the eye test when it comes to a team that still might have its best football ahead of it.

New contributors continue to emerge. Quarterback Sam Hartman didn’t shine statistically for the first time in an ND uniform, but he did show toughness and savvy. And the Irish may have a defense that can grow to be dominant if it can amp up the pass rush.

That may be the biggest disappointment other than the last-second math problems, that the Irish couldn’t rattle a talented but inexperienced Buckeye QB Kyle McCord when it mattered most.

Notre Dame won’t likely slide too far in the rankings, which come out Sunday. The ones that matter, the College Football Playoff Top 25, won’t come out until Oct. 31 for the first set. The Irish will have played nine games by then, including three more unbeatens in the next three weeks — Duke, Louisville and USC.

A CFP berth isn’t an absurd ambition, but Notre Dame on Saturday night put itself in position of needing help.

The biggest question answered was how good is Notre Dame's secondary, Ohio State may not see a better one the rest of the season, Notre Dame's young wide receivers and junior tight end Mitchell Evans also more clearly defined themselves and perhaps the offensive line to some extent.

Is there a way to generate a more-consistent pass rush. Notre Dame's defensive front seven had some big moments, but it also disappeared at critical junctures as well, with some more difficult QB matchups coming up.

The Irish hit the road next weekend for a Saturday night clash (7:30 EDT; ABC) at Duke, a 41-7 winner at UConn. Duke held the Huskies to 32 total yards in the first half and 203 for the game. The 18th-ranked Blue Devils, with their highest ranking in 29 seasons, will be looking to go 5-0 for the first time since that same season, 1994.

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