College Football Playoff: Can Notre Dame jump Alabama for No. 1 seed?

Could Notre Dame overtake Alabama in the College Football Playoff rankings if they beat Clemson for the ACC title?

A second win for Notre Dame over Clemson could mean bad news for Alabama when the College Football Playoff is revealed.

If the No. 2 Fighting Irish beats the No. 3 Tigers for a second time this season in the ACC Championship game, will that be enough for the Golden Domers to end up with the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff? A lot of that really depends on how the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide plays against the No. 7 Florida Gators in the SEC Championship game.

Notre Dame football may pass Alabama in the College Football Playoff rankings

The easiest way for Notre Dame to get the No. 1 overall seed would be to beat Clemson in the ACC Championship game and hope Florida upsets Alabama in the SEC title bout. Notre Dame would be the unquestioned No. 1 seed and would pick the Sugar Bowl over the Rose Bowl because that would mean Notre Dame football family members would get to watch them play in person where they couldn’t at the Rose Bowl, so no boycott.

Now let’s assume Alabama and Notre Dame win their respective title bouts, potentially knocking out Clemson and absolutely knocking out Florida from playoff contention. Is there a sliver of hope for the Golden Domers to leapfrog Alabama in this scenario? Yes, but it is unlikely. It involves Alabama barely beating Florida and Notre Dame wiping the floor with Clemson. Style points matter.

Ultimately, there are only three teams who can get the No. 1 seed. Alabama is the overwhelming favorite to do so. Notre Dame has more than a puncher’s chance but is not likely to pull it off. Clemson would need to beat Notre Dame and then have Alabama lose to Florida. So this is an ultimate dark horse scenario here. The Ohio State Buckeyes have not played enough games to jump to the No. 1 spot.

Notre Dame can get to No. 1, but do not count on it if the Irish and the Crimson Tide both win.

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