No. 10 Notre Dame is sitting idle during conference championship weekend.
More News: Marcus Freeman ‘Upset’ With Alabama Jumping Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish finished the regular season 10-2, going on a ten-game winning streak after starting the year with losses to Miami and Texas A&M.
The Irish are firmly on the bubble to make the College Football Playoff before the selection committee releases the final rankings on Sunday.
More News:Â CFP Committee Explains Controversial Notre Dame-Alabama Decision
Notre Dame needs a few things to happen on Saturday.
The Irish should jump No. 9 Alabama if No. 3 Georgia defeats the Crimson Tide by a wide margin in the SEC championship. ND cannot afford for No. 11 BYU to upset No. 4 Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship, as the Big 12 would likely get two teams into the final bracket in that scenario.
Boise State’s win helped Notre Dame’s CFP chances
The Irish already received a little help during conference championship weekend on Friday night when Boise State beat UNLV 38-31 in front of 27,152 fans at Albertsons Stadium to claim the Mountain West championship. ND defeated the Broncos 28-7 on Oct. 4.
Boise State’s victory over the Rebels improved the Irish’s strength of schedule, giving ND a win over a Group of 5 conference champion. The Broncos record stands at 9-4 before they go bowling.
As CFP selection committee member Hunter Yurachek said on Tuesday night, the results of the championship games can change the analysis for idle teams such as Notre Dame.
“Indeed, idle teams can move following the results of the championship games and how they impact the teams that are around those that play in the championship game, and data such as strength of schedule–teams that may be idle,” Yurachek said. “So yes, teams that are idle can move up or down.”
ND will need more luck to go its way on Saturday, but it had a nice start to the weekend on Friday night.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.