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

2. Name recognition is never a bad thing

As a Notre Dame fan, you never want to hear the excuse that your team is only receiving their ranking because they’re “overrated” or “favored”. However, after losing a game that could very well spell the destruction of Notre Dame’s playoff hopes, anything helps. Whether the Irish are truly favored by the committee or not, it serves as one more weapon in an optimistic fan’s arsenal.

While it’s often difficult to prove the conspiracy theories that swirl around those that govern the sports world, it’s much easier to prove how profitable an Irish playoff berth would be for the NCAA. Pennlive created a list detailing the nation’s richest programs over the course of the 2015-2016 fiscal year, with the Irish making the list at fourth, falling behind Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama.

With both Texas and Tennessee underperforming over the last few years, the Irish are one of the more financially elite programs capable of making it to the playoff. The Irish have one of the strongest, most geographically diverse fan bases in the country, and their history in and of itself would merit consideration from a committee looking to further pad their pockets.

Again, many of the conspiracy theories surrounding the selection committee and their decisions should be taken with a grain of salt. There is rarely much substance behind the majority of these claims, but a “glass half-full” approach is a necessity for an 8-2 team on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff.