Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons Irish can still make College Football Playoff

Notre Dame football took a substantial blow to its playoff hopes Saturday, falling to Miami by a score of 41-8. Here are five reasons why the Irish are down, but not out.

Notre Dame found themselves severely outmatched for the first time this season, losing in embarrassing fashion to the rival Hurricanes. Head coached Brian Kelly has been notorious for his inability to win big games, and little seemed to change as he witnessed yet another dismantling of his squad by a top 10 opponent.

The Irish were in great position to claim their first College Football Playoff berth since its 2014 conception, but are no longer in control of their own destiny after Saturday’s devastating loss. However, there’s still a chance, albeit a very small one, that the Irish still make it to the playoff.

Any Irish playoff bid would have to come by way of a complete meltdown from the top 10, but crazier things have certainly happened in the realm of college football. While each possibility is highly unlikely, there are numerous avenues through which Notre Dame could creep back into the top four. Here are five of them.