Notre Dame Gets Huge Boost After Penn State, Texas Upsets

Notre Dame improved to 3-2 with a 28-7 win over Boise State on Saturday. The win was a bit more impressive than the final score indicates, but it was what happened elsewhere in college football Saturday that made Notre Dame a massive winner.

No. 7 Penn State fell at UCLA in perhaps the upset of the year. UCLA didn't even hold a lead for the first month of the season, let alone record a win, before welcoming the Nittany Lions to Pasadena for an improbable upset victory.

What Penn State's Loss Means for Notre Dame

Penn State's loss to UCLA doesn't eliminate the Nittany Lions from the College Football Playoff entirely but it doesn't feel like it will be gone. Sure, it's college football and crazy things can happen. Penn State still has a chance to knock off No. 1 Ohio State in the Horseshoe on November 1.

However, James Franklin's track record against top-five teams speaks for itself.

Yes, Notre Dame made the College Football Playoff last year after an embarrassing loss to Northern Illinois. It didn't lose at all outside that, though.

For the short term Notre Dame will pass Penn State in the polls, but in the longterm, anything short of Penn State running the table (including an unlikely win at Ohio State) will mean the Nittany Lions are going to head to the Reliaquest Bowl or something of the sort instead of the College Football Playoff.

Florida's Upset of Texas Helps Notre Dame

Remember the start of the year when Texas, Penn State, and Clemson dominated preseason rankings, largely because of perception at quarterback. It turns out all three starting quarterbacks at those schools leave a lot to be desired.

Texas was handled at previously 1-3 Florida on Saturday, playing from behind all afternoon. At 3-2 now and with Oklahoma looming, as well as a trip to Georgia and a date with Texas A&M still to come, Texas' College Football Playoff chances are on life support after Saturday's defeat.

Miami Handling Florida State Only Helps Irish

Arguably, the biggest game going into Saturday night was unbeaten Miami traveling to Florida State. The Hurricanes jumped out to a 14-3 first half lead (game still in progress) and Miami, who Notre Dame lost to in Week 1, only continues to improve its resume, and make Notre Dame's loss look less harmful each week.

Texas A&M Leads Against Mississippi State

Texas A&M still has plenty of work to do, but as of posting, the Aggies hold a first-half lead over Mississippi State. Like Miami, Texas A&M continues to impress this season, eyeing a 5-0 start. The Aggies still have work to do and some tough teams to do it against, but early returns from College Station show a team with a realistic shot of playing for the SEC Championship and in the College Football Playoff. All of that helps Notre Dame's resume after the 41-40 loss to the Aggies on September 13.