Notre Dame suffered its second loss of the season on Saturday, falling 39-38 to Stanford. It was the program's second loss of the season -- and for some -- the final nail in the College Football Playoff coffin.
Except it shouldn't be.
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Not all losses are created equal and Notre Dame is yet to suffer a loss deserving of elimination. It's time the selection committee recognizes that.
Admittedly, a few dominoes must fall to make the case for the Irish -- the first being a USC victory over Stanford in the Pac-12 title game. A Michigan State victory over Iowa wouldn't hurt, either.
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In order to turn Notre Dame's long-shot into an actual possibility, however, two-loss Florida must upset Alabama in the SEC Championship.
Any combination of the aforementioned three games opens the door for Notre Dame, for even with two losses, the Irish are yet to suffer an embarrassing defeat.
There is no 16-6 home loss to Northwestern, ala Stanford. There is no 24-17 loss to Texas (4-7), ala Oklahoma. There is no loss on Iowa's resume, but that has more to do with the program's inability to face anyone relevant to the College Football Playoff picture than anything else.
Saturday's Big Ten championship will go a long way in lending the Hawkeye's season authenticity.
As for Notre Dame, both losses came by a combined four points away from home. One was in a hurricane against the No. 1 team in the country, the other in the final second.
ICYMI: Stanford spoiled Notre Dame's playoff chances with this 45-yard FG on the final play of the game. https://t.co/44kcriwNTW
— ESPN (@espn) November 29, 2015
The Irish even went out of their way to toughen their schedule this season, but other schools -- mainly USC (8-4) -- didn't hold their end of the bargain.
No, Notre Dame isn't facing an ideal situation. But it's not an insurmountable one, either. All it takes is a friendly bounce or two to resuscitate a playoff campaign.
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