No. 16 Notre Dame has won three consecutive games, but they have a lot to show the College Football Playoff selection committee after starting the season 0-2. Fortunately for the Irish, the two programs that beat them, No. 2 Miami and No. 5 Texas A&M, have remained undefeated, improving their strength of schedule.

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Though the Irish began the season with two ranked opponents, the program doesn’t have another top 25 game currently on the schedule to earn a quality win to impress the committee. Notre Dame’s best chance to play a ranked opponent comes in Week 8 when they host their heated rival, USC.

Antonio Morales of The Athletic argued that the Irish need luck to make the CFP, and they could get a boost in that department if the Trojans knock off No. 15 Michigan on Saturday night. USC should be ranked for its matchup against Notre Dame if it beats the Wolverines, another program Irish fans are not fond of.

“Notre Dame is essentially in a position where it has to win out and finish 10-2 to reach the Playoff,” Morales wrote. “It’s certainly doable, but opportunities for quality wins are slim. There are no ranked teams left on the Fighting Irish’s schedule, though USC has a chance to enter the polls if it can beat Michigan this week.

“It will be interesting to see what the CFP selection committee does if Notre Dame is 10-2 and contending for an at-large bid with a 10-2 team from a Power-4 conference.” 

USC is 4-1, with its only loss coming by two points in a 34-32 loss to No. 17 Illinois. The Trojans have a good chance to knock off Michigan on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Per ESPN BET, USC is a 2.5-point favorite to emerge victorious.

Notre Dame has a potential trap game to worry about on Saturday when it hosts 4-2 North Carolina State.

For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.