Why Notre Dame comes out a winner in new Playoff format

For the Irish, giving up a first-round bye is a small price to pay to keep its independence.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

A refresher, for the uninitiated:

The four highest-ranked conference champions will be eligible for first-round byes in the new 12-team College Football Playoff. Because Notre Dame cannot win a conference championship, the Irish cannot receive a first-round bye in the new Playoff.

Yes, this means that if the Irish are to win their first national title since 1988, they will have to win four Playoff games, not three.

All of this became official this week as the Playoff’s Board of Managers (at last) approved a 5+7 format for the upcoming two seasons — as in, five automatic berths to conference champions, plus seven at-large bids.

All of this has been expected for nearly three years. A four-person working group proposed this original format back in the summer of 2021, after working on it since the early part of 2019. Despite all of the bickering, politicking, and delaying, here we are, ready to see this new format finally take off in 2024, with the only substantial change between then and now the number of automatic bids, which have been changed to reflect the demise of the Pac-12.

The Notre Dame clause, if you will, raised eyebrows at the time. And to be fair, there are respectable arguments to be made stating that Notre Dame will be at a major disadvantage in the new system.