Will Notre Dame Secure a No. 5 or No. 6 Seed in the College Football Playoff?

Notre Dame's College Football Playoff outlook is starting to become more clear.

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts after cornerback Christian Gray (29) blocks a pass against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Notre Dame put itself in a great position to host a College Football Playoff game on Saturday evening by defeating USC, 49-35.

It was a must-win game for the Irish in Los Angeles and Marcus Freeman's squad got it done in emphatic fashion in the fourth quarter, with two ridiculous pick-sixes to ice the game for Notre Dame.

Now, the Fighting Irish get a three week break to prepare for whoever it will play in South Bend for the first round of the playoff on December 20/21. Notre Dame has put itself in a position to host a playoff game in the first round of the 12-team playoff and with the Irish in a spot to earn the five or six seed, it should be a manageable opponent.

As for where Notre Dame is seeded in the final College Football Playoff rankings, that will likely be determined by the results of the conference championship games this upcoming Saturday.

The results will determine not only Notre Dame's seeding, likely No. 5 or 6, and who the Irish will square off against and when, December 20 or 21.

4️⃣ in the AP Poll #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/tnUUyfzyMT

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 1, 2024

Major Conference Championship Games:

Penn State vs. Oregon (Big 10)

Arizona State vs. Iowa State (Big 12)

Georgia vs. Texas (SEC)

SMU vs. Clemson (ACC)

The result of Penn State vs. Oregon will likely decide whether Notre Dame ends up at the No. 5 or 6 position. If Penn State loses handily, the No. 5 slot is for the taking. This game specifically is likely the most important conference championship game to Notre Dame fans, along with SMU vs. Clemson.

It has been projected by many outlets that Clemson will defeat SMU and the Mustangs would be coming to South Bend in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Tuesday evening's rankings will be telling to see how the committee views Notre Dame against Penn State specifically. Fans and analysts alike have been clamoring for the Irish to overtake the Nittany Lions in seeding and it should not surprise anyone if that does happen Tuesday night.

Ultimately, signs seems to be pointing to Notre Dame landing the No. 6 seed but we will watch and see how things shake out.

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