Notre Dame’s Playoff Chances: Boosted or Busted in Week 5?

Iowa had unbeaten Indiana on the ropes, having an attempt to take the lead with just two minutes to play against the Hoosiers. Iowa missed its 42-yard field goal attempt, though, and just moments after, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza connected for a go-ahead touchdown pass to save the Hoosiers from the upset-minded Hawkeyes.

What it Means for Notre Dame: Indiana looks the part of a team that will at worst, finish 10-2. It has difficult trips to Oregon and Penn State remaining, but even if it falls in both, Indiana's win over Illinois is better than anything Notre Dame has on its resume so far.

Alabama's Road Upset of Georgia

Alabama walked into Georgia, home of the nation's longest home winning streak, and handed the Bulldogs a 24-17 defeat. The win keeps Alabama undefeated in the SEC and has the Crimson Tide primed for a potential College Football Playoff run, although plenty of meat remains on the bone.

What it Means for Notre Dame: The hope was that Alabama would have two losses and be clinging to its College Football Playoff life entering October. Instead, both Alabama and Georgia have one loss and appear to have favorable routes to the CFP. Alabama now also has a marquee win over Georgia on its resume that Notre Dame likely won't be able to come near matching.

Florida State Stunned at Virginia

Friday night's epic field storming by the Virginia student section after the upset win over Florida State certainly did Notre Dame no favors, especially after what happened Saturday night at Georgia.

What it Means for Notre Dame: Florida State's chances of winning the ACC took a big hit with the loss, but now the Seminoles are another potential two-loss team Notre Dame may have to compare resumes with in early December. As of now, Florida State's win over Alabama is better than any win Notre Dame has, and that victory only looks better for the Seminoles after Alabama's big victory.

SEC Logjam at the Top

Texas A&M held Auburn's offense in check to remain undefeated while Ole Miss handed LSU its first loss of the year in Oxford. While six teams remain unbeaten in conference play, Ole Miss sits atop with a 3-0 conference mark.

What it Means for Notre Dame: The SEC was always going to get nearly a handful of teams in the CFP and that certainly remains to appear to be the case. The best thing for Notre Dame is if it's loss to Texas A&M continues to look like it came against a top 10 team. The Aggies have a rather favorable overall schedule this conference season but trips to LSU, Missouri, and Texas certainly won't be easy.

Notre Dame's College Football Playoff Chances:

Notre Dame not only has to handle its own business and get to 10-2, but will need a little chaos as well. It's still so early in the season that it's it's almost a useless exercise to try and predict what happens. Notre Dame could have used USC to beat Illinois and be ranked for the October 18th matchup.

Early Sunday morning, ESPN's Football Power Index updated its College Football Playoff odds. Notre Dame's chances of making the 12-team tournament increased from 6.9% to 11.9% following Saturday. Add in a 4-6% increase weekly for the rest of the regular season, and Notre Dame will be looking at a coin flip, or slightly better chance of making the playoff by regular season's end.