Kirk Herbstreit Predicts Winless Team Will Make College Football Playoff

The "College GameDay" crew was asked whether the Fighting Irish will still earn a College Football Playoff spot. Herbstreit was among the most optimistic, even predicting they'd win the rest of their regular-season matchups.

“I’m going to say at Arkansas, USC at home, they finish 10-2 and yes, Notre Dame will be in the playoffs at 10-2,” Herbstreit said.

Of course, quality wins are a huge factor in the College Football Playoff selection committee's decision and Notre Dame doesn't have many opportunities left.

Their match-up against the USC Trojans on Oct. 18 is the only ranked opponent left on their schedule. As an independent, the Fighting Irish also don't have the opportunity to earn a spot as a top-five conference champion.

Winning out as Herbstreit predicted is crucial, as no team in last year's College Football Playoff had fewer than 10 wins.

That means perfection is a must for Notre Dame's next 10 games, and time will tell if they're up to the task. Their first test comes on Saturday with a home matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers at 3:30 p.m. ET.