Notre Dame gives two to CCA in playoffs

The ACC race seemed pretty clear, with Clemson expecting to lead the table and leave a college football playoff spot open to further conferences. This place was slated to head to Oregon last week with the Ducks and Pac-12 starting their season.

The outlook after Notre Dame upsets the top-ranked Tigers is quite different, with ACC positioned to put two teams on the pitch if Clemson can bounce back to turn the tide against an expected Fighting Irish in the Conference Championship game. If that happens, both teams would likely be on the field, joining Alabama and Ohio State, which continue to be the class of their respective leagues.

Besides Oregon, the big loser of the weekend is Cincinnati. The Bearcats were in a position to have a strong playoff business. There will be unlikely to be much argument if Clemson and Notre Dame end with a loss. They are hoping for further upheaval along the way before the committee makes its final appeal on December 20.

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A few small changes to the six New Years games came from the weekend results. Miami enters the Orange Bowl as a representative of the ACC and will face Florida after the Gators edged Georgia with their loss to the Bulldogs. Oregon’s dropout at the Fiesta Bowl is pushing Wisconsin out.

The Bowl lineup for the playoffs is 37 games with Las Vegas Bowl status uncertain. The teams in bold have accepted the places.