How Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame affects CFP rankings and benefits Oklahoma State

Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame for the LSU job will have a ripple effect in the College Football Playoff rankings with Oklahoma State benefitting greatly.

Outside of LSU, the other fan base that’s most excited about Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame for the Tigers job should be Oklahoma State football fans.

With Kelly leaving Notre Dame, the College Football Playoff committee has to take into account what it means should they be in the conversation for one of the four spots in the field.

Georgia, Michigan, Alabama and Cincinnati are expected to be the teams in the top four when the newest rankings are revealed on Tuesday night.

Notre Dame should be No. 5 and Oklahoma State at No. 6 after their win over Oklahoma. But when the final four is revealed on Sunday, the chances the Fighting Irish will be moving up are tanked by Kelly’s departure.

Notre Dame’s playoff chances hurt with Brian Kelly leaving for LSU

If Georgia beats Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and the rest of the favorites win, that means the committee will have to choose between Notre Dame and Oklahoma State for the fourth spot.

Last year, Notre Dame won the argument for the No. 4 spot over Texas A&M but this year will be different.

The committee will say they don’t project, but they have to, and they have it in their protocols.

Losing a head coach is certainly a major factor when determining the strength of that team. Ohio State losing quarterback J.T. Barrett didn’t hurt their standing in the playoff, but they saw Cardale Jones lead the team to a blowout win in the Big Ten Championship Game to alleviate any concerns.

There is no game for Notre Dame to show how they look without Kelly patrolling the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State has the Big 12 Championship Game against Baylor on Saturday. The Pokes beat them, 24-14 earlier in the year, so if they go 2-0 against the Bears, it’ll be Oklahoma State vaulting over Notre Dame and taking the No. 4 spot and making their first playoff.

If Kelly doesn’t leave Notre Dame, the committee may still pick Oklahoma State over Notre Dame, but with him gone, it makes the decision to do so that much easier.

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