The last two weeks of the college football season caught everyone off guard—teams and fans alike were shocked by what went down. Look at Ohio State’s brutal 10-17 snub by the Michigan Wolverines. Did you see that coming? Well, if you didn’t, meet a person who also didn’t see it coming (going by his record, he should have). Ryan Day was left perplexed by a resilient Michigan. The only resilience the Buckeyes could gather was seen after the game to oppose their opponents planting the Michigan flag in Ohio Stadium. Of course, there will be repercussions for the No. 2 Ohio State. However, it could be a blessing for No. 5 Notre Dame who took care of their rivalry weekend against USC (49-35).

What do the analysts say about it? On a recent episode of the David Pollack college football show, there was great news for Notre Dame. While discussing the Buckeyes’ loss, Pollack and his co-host discussed the No. 5 team. The co-host set it up for Pollack, saying, ““They had a great day because of the Ohio State loss. Yeah, because, to me, they now are in prime position to be that 5 seed and match up. I do think that will end up being a Boise or a UNLV because I think two lanes out after losing Thanksgiving, but they’re five-seed potentially, then playing a four-seed conference champion, Big 12 like that was the money spot for Notre Dame being in that spot. And I think that today and this win kind of help solidify that. 

Pollack, agreeing with the proposition of the Buckeyes’ loss aiding Notre Dame, said, “The Irish man, they’re good. Don’t sleep on the Irish.”

So, is Notre Dame a top seed after week 14? Possible, especially with Michigan dunking on Ohio State. That defeat of the Buckeyes? Chef’s kiss for the Irish’s playoff dreams. While Notre Dame has been constantly lurking in the playoff convo so far this season, patiently waiting for the chaos to strike.

Now Ohio State’s loss to Michigan gives them the perfect opening. Enter the fighting Irish. Besides a guaranteed playoff spot, what about a bye? Can the fighting Irish be lucky enough to get a bye?

Is Notre Dame getting a bye?

Here is the catch: Notre Dame crushed 49-35 and finished the season 11-1. However, don’t start thinking about a fresh first-round bye for the Irish because that’s not going to happen. Why? They’re independent, baby. No conference means no shot at that luxurious bye. To be more precise, the playoff setup is nothing but a members-only club for the four highest-ranked conference teams. Notre dame?

The Irish are like cool kids who like to roam alone and refuse to join the club. Awesome, but stuck eating lunch alone. Even after an elite no. 5, the committee goes, “Sorry pal, no bye for you.” So, who’s going to get those byes? Well, the byes are going to be owned by the Big 10, SEC, ACC squads, and maybe some scrappy guys from the Mountain West or Big 12.

Probably Oregon, Penn State, Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, SMU, Clemson, Boise State, Arizona State, and Iowa State after their splendid season. Meanwhile, Notre Dame slides into the playoffs but has to fight through the first round like everyone who doesn’t belong to any conference. In short and sweet words, Notre Dame might get to the playoffs but has no first-class tickets.