See where Notre Dame football projects in latest College Football Playoff bracket
SOUTH BEND — Surging Notre Dame football has climbed ever closer to a projected first-round home game in this year’s College Football Playoff.
Tuesday night’s selection committee rankings placed the Irish in the No. 9 seed, which would put them on the road against seventh-ranked (but eighth-seeded) Tennessee. The Volunteers (8-1) play at No. 12 Georgia (7-2) this week.
A week ago, in the opening CFP rankings, Notre Dame (8-1) was both ranked and seeded No. 10 with a projected first-round trip to Penn State.
The Irish, ranked eighth this week, would need to claim a No. 8 seed or higher in order to host a first-round game in the inaugural 12-team format.
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Selection Sunday will be Dec. 8 with first-round games at campus sites scheduled for Dec. 20-21.
"Every week is the Super Bowl," Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said Monday. "No matter if we are in the playoff hunt or not, it’s the same mindset we have. You get 12 of these guaranteed opportunities. ... To think about anything other than that, you’re doing this game a disservice."
Notre Dame will try to extend its winning streak to eight games on Saturday at home against unranked Virginia (5-4).
Unbeaten Indiana, coming off a win over defending national champion Michigan, jumped three spots in the rankings and would play host to 10th-seeded Alabama under this week’s projections.
Notre Dame has one remaining game against a CFP-ranked team: Nov. 23 at Yankee Stadium against No. 24 Army (9-0). Two previous Irish conquests remain in this week’s CFP rankings: No. 15 Texas A&M (7-2) dropped a spot off the bye and Louisville (6-3) moved up three spots to No. 19.
The Irish, whose only loss came at home to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7, have played the 73rd-toughest schedule thus far, according to ESPN analytics. Notre Dame’s remaining strength of schedule ranks 36th nationally.
Indiana (10-0) has played the 100th-toughest schedule but has the eighth-toughest remaining slate, thanks to a trip to second-ranked Ohio State on Nov. 23.
In so-called “game control,” Notre Dame ranks ninth, just ahead of Tennessee and right behind Georgia. Vols junior tight end Holden Staes, a Notre Dame transfer after last season, has 12 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football eases higher in second College Football Playoff rankings
