Notre Dame A Popular No. 8-To-10 Choice For 2020
Is there anything in college football easier than assembling the “Way Too Early” lists for the next season?
This is an annual ritual in the days or week after the close of the previous season in the College Football Playoff. Invariably it involves putting the top four or five from the just completed season in a similar order, as well as the top 10-15.
Usually, one or two bones are thrown out into the top 10, maybe even the top 5, just to raise eyebrows. In recent years the University of Michigan has been the popular such choice.
WatchStadium.com’s Brett McMurphy, for example, has 7-6 Iowa State — which lost 33-9 to Notre Dame in the Camping World Bowl — to finish No. 10 in 2020 (while the Fighting Irish come in at No. 15).
Of course, there is good reason for the Top 4-5 to remain relatively unchanged year after year: Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State have clearly separated themselves in the first tier since the inception of the CFP in 2014.
Oklahoma has been one of the four finalists in five of the six years the playoff format has been in existence, and Georgia for three straight years has pounded on its door, when not let inside like in 2017.
Reigning champion LSU was the “newcomer” to the scene in 2019, but even the Tigers had previously won national titles in 2003 and 2007 — placing them behind fellow SEC West Division rival Alabama for most national titles won since the turn of the 21st century.
For 2020, there are at least four consensus opinions among six of the top college football media outlets:
• Clemson and Ohio State are the overwhelming picks to finish 1-2. In the ACC, Clemson has no competitor in its stratosphere to stop it from winning the league crown, while Ohio State has obliterated its supposed top rival, Michigan, by scores of 62-39 and 56-27 the past two years and will host the Wolverines this year.
• Alabama is likely to find its way into the CFP next season after an “off” 11-2 season.
• Notre Dame remains in the “very good, but not quite great” second-tier category with ratings between No. 8-10.
• Wisconsin, which will play Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on Oct. 3, joins schools such as Florida, Oregon, Penn State, Auburn, Michigan, Texas in that Tier 2 strata generally around the Top 7-15.
Overall, the popular opinion is entering the Nov. 7 showdown at home versus Clemson, Notre Dame should be no worse than 7-1, and maybe favored to be 8-0.
ESPN: Notre Dame No. 10
Among the six outlets, it had Oregon the highest (No. 5), with Alabama and LSU in the top 4 again — despite massive personnel and coaching departures in Baton Rouge.
Wisconsin is No. 14.
SI.com: Notre Dame No. 9
This was the lone outlet that didn't have it 1-2 with Clemson and Ohio State. It still had Clemson No. 1, but oddly placed Georgia, which has a major rebuild on offense, at No. 2, one spot ahead of the Buckeyes, with Alabama No. 4, and Penn State No. 5. It had LSU the lowest at No. 10
Wisconsin is No. 13, and USC (Nov. 28) is No. 16.
CBSSports: Notre Dame No. 10
The top four is identical to ESPN, and the lone outlier is having Auburn at No. 8 (the only one to have the Tigers there) while Georgia is No. 9, just ahead of the Irish.
Wisconsin is No. 15, Louisville (Nov. 21) No. 16.
FOX Sports: Notre Dame No. 10
Same Final Four of Clemson, Ohio State, LSU and Alabama, with Oklahoma slipping just in front of the Irish at No. 9.
This outlet ranked only a Top 10.
Sporting News: Notre Dame No. 8
The highest ranking for head coach Brian Kelly's crew, with Penn State at 9 and Florida 10 — the lone poll where both the Gators and Nittany Lions are both behind the Irish.
Wisconsin is No. 14
Athlon: Notre Dame No. 9
This is the one source that had Wisconsin in the Top 10 — at No. 10, with Oregon, who it lost to by one point in the Rose Bowl, at No. 11.
----
• Talk about it inside Rockne’s Roundtable
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @BGI_MikeSinger, @CoachDeDario and @AndrewMentock.
• Like us on Facebook.