Stability is difficult to attain and keep in college football, even for some of the sport’s most visible programs.
Take a look at the current state of USC, Texas and Florida State, all national title winners since 2000. Cast in that light, Notre Dame’s three straight 10-wins seasons looks pretty comfy. Things could always be worse.
As Notre Dame fans also love to point out, things could also be better. A 33-6 record does not preclude the desire for more — College Football Playoff appearances on a more frequent basis, wins over top-10 teams and, of course, a national title.
If Notre Dame wants to get there in 2020, achieving these common traits of CFP participants would be a strong start.
Get A Top-10 Win
To put itself safely in the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame must go 12-0. And doing so would require beating Clemson, which will likely open the season atop the polls. The more important part for its resume and playoff selection, though, is where its opponents finish in the CFP top 25.
Beat some teams that finish there, and it’s likely the record is strong enough to be in the mix for a spot all the way, whether it’s 12-0 or 11-1 with a win over Clemson or whoever else might finish in the top 10. We’ll assume the Tigers will, but Notre Dame would get a boost by beating Wisconsin or USC if at least one of them ends up in the committee’s final top 10 as well. That would make a one-loss résumé more attractive.
The challenge, though, is winning those games. Since the CFP era began, the Irish are 2-7 against teams who ended the season in the CFP top 10. Take out the non-contention years of 2014 and 2016, and that record is still 2-5.
