Can Notre Dame lose to USC and still make the College Football Playoff?

Outside of a terrible loss to Northern Illinois, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have rattled off 10 wins and hold the seventh spot in the second-to-last edition of the College Football Playoff rankings. The Irish haven't played an extremely tough schedule this season, but have notable wins against Navy, Army and Texas A&M.

Although the Irish football program has a lot of advantages that other schools don't, Marcus Freeman's squad is currently at a disadvantage to make the playoff because the program is independent and doesn't have a conference title game or the auto-bid that would come with them being one of the best five CFP-ranked conference title winners.

With one more game left in their schedule, the Irish are on their way toward making their first playoff appearance since 2020. Freeman's only obstacle on the way to a berth in the 12-team tournament seems to be a game against a disappointing USC on the road. The Trojans are struggling behind a poor offensive line and rough decisions made by head coach Lincoln Riley this season.

As the Irish get ready for a battle against their arch-rival USC, it's fair to question if a loss this week would take the program out of the playoff.

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Notre Dame likely leaves their playoff fate in the hands of the committee with a loss

While the College Football Playoff Committee may favor Notre Dame over a possible conference title championship game loser, it's fair to say that a loss to USC will dismantle their case to make the 12-team tournament. Even if they have somehow already clinched their playoff ticket, a loss in the final week of the season may be a reason they have to play on the road in the first round of the playoff.

With the amount of energy that South Bend and the stakes riding on this matchup with rival USC, you can count on them coming out with fire and doing their best to seal their fate.