Nick Saban blasts James Madison's inclusion in College Football Playoff over Notre Dame

If you consider the brand, compare resumes and compare strength of schedule, Notre Dame clearly has the upper hand. The Fighting Irish have won 11 championships and are one of the most storied programs in the history of the sport. 

As for the resume, 10 of Notre Dame's 12 games came against power conference opponents, leading to a 44th-ranked strength of schedule. James Madison, on the other hand, had the 121st-ranked strength of schedule and lost its only game against a quality opponent, a 28-14 defeat to Louisville, in Week 2. 

If you take a moment to examine each team's schedule in more context, though, you cannot ignore the impressive season that the Dukes have had. Since that loss to Louisville, James Madison has won its last 11 games, including a 31-14 triumph over Troy in the conference championship game.

Junior quarterback Alonza Barnett III has been exceptional, throwing for 2,533 yards and 21 TDs and rushing for 544 yards and a team-high 14 TDs. It is also important to keep in mind that James Madison has only been at the FBS level since 2022, so it is even more remarkable that the Dukes are even in this position to begin with.

A first-round matchup with the fifth-seeded Oregon Ducks (11-1) on Saturday night looks like a complete mismatch at first glance and one that most fans would not give James Madison a shot in. However, while Notre Dame could have easily found itself in the playoff with Heisman contender Jeremiyah Love (1,372 rush yards, 18 TDs), it also could have defeated Miami and Texas A&M — two playoff teams — to begin the season and it would not have been in this position.

Either way, it is certainly debatable whether teams like Tulane or James Madison should be in the CFP. However unpopular that might be, both programs earned their way here and have a chance to pull off massive upsets on Saturday.