Illinois Shocks USC — Here's What It Means for Notre Dame

Notre Dame's remaining schedule is anything but ominous, as it goes as follows:

Oct. 4: vs. Boise State
Oct. 11: vs. North Carolina State
Oct. 18: vs. USC
Nov. 1: at Boston College
Nov. 8: vs. Navy
Nov. 15: at Pittsburgh
Nov. 22: vs. Syracuse
Nov. 29: at Stanford

Five of those eight games will be played at Notre Dame Stadium and it seems unlikely that any will take place against a ranked foe. Having already lost to Miami and Texas A&M, there is a great chance then that Notre Dame will finish the year without having beaten a single ranked team.

Does USC's Loss at Illinois Hurt Notre Dame's Playoff Chances?

Although your season used to essentially be over in terms of a national championship once a second loss was suffered, that's no longer the case. Ohio State lost two regular-season games a year ago and went on to win the whole thing, while Tennessee, SMU, and Penn State all also made the College Football Playoff with multiple losses, despite not winning their respective conferences.

USC losing didn't do Notre Dame any favors in terms of strength of schedule, but if we're debating if a team is playoff worthy or not because it's a debate between whether the Trojans are the 24th or 29th best team nationally.

The More Important Upset Loss of This Weekend Regarding Notre Dame

The loss this weekend that might come back to hurt Notre Dame more than USC's is actually Florida State falling at Virginia. Say now that Florida State ends up going 10-2 in the regular season with a loss to like-opponent Miami as well.

Florida State has a win over Alabama, who we assume will remain ranked as the year goes on. Does that make it a better College Football Playoff candidate than Notre Dame, despite what any eye-test might tell you?

Add in Indiana, who has a 63-10 spanking of Illinois it handed out last week. Say the Hoosiers go 10-2 this regular season and suffer losses at Oregon and Penn State, both of which could be top-five teams. Does a 10-2 Notre Dame squad have a better case than them?

The most important thing Notre Dame can do is keep improving and keep winning. It's clear that a 9-3 Notre Dame squad won't be getting in, so keep building and if it can finish the year 10-2, I'm guessing like last year, enough will take care of itself and the Irish will be included in the CFP, although likely not playing at home.