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

4. Notre Dame’s remaining schedule allows for a late-season statement

The Irish will round out their 2017 regular season with matchups against the likes of Navy and Stanford. Both programs have been in and out of the top 25 over the last few years, providing the opportunity for very respectable wins should the Irish blow out both the Midshipmen and the Cardinal.

Blowing out their remaining competition will be a tall task, however, as Navy has played the Irish tough over the last few years. In a rivalry that hasn’t missed a game since its conception in 1927, Navy hasn’t lost to the Irish by more than three possessions since 2012. It’ll take a much more dominant effort from the Irish in next week’s matchup if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Should the Irish put up big numbers against Navy, their next task would be to do the same against Stanford. The Cardinal have had Notre Dame’s number as of late, winning five out of seven in the Brian Kelly era. However, should Stanford take home the victory against California next week, the Irish would have another opportunity to make their case with a win over yet another top 20 team.

While the Irish don’t have the luxury of facing opponents that would give them even more brownie points over the next few weeks, both Navy and Stanford are highly respected programs in the eyes of the selection committee. Nevertheless, Notre Dame should be able to make a significant statement with wins over two historic rivals.