Notre Dame Holds Steady in College Football Playoff Projections Following Week 7 Win

Notre Dame (4-2) won its fourth-straight game on Saturday, defeating NC State 36-7. Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish continue to try and make another run to the College Football Playoff after starting the season 0-2, following heartbreaking losses at Miami and against Texas A&M.

What else happened across college football that may have helped or hurt Notre Dame's chances on Saturday? And what do the latest projections for the College Football Playoff look like?

Notre Dame Holds Steady in College Football Playoff Chase

College Football Playoff Projections Following Week 7

First Round Byes (Spots 1-4):

1. Ohio State (13-0)
2. Miami (13-0)
3. Indiana (12-1)
4. Texas Tech (13-0)

Miami continues to hold onto the best resume in the nation, but its win over Florida State losses some strength after the Seminoles lost to Pittsburgh this week. Indiana getting a road win at Oregon launches it up the projection as its resume sets up to be better than Alabama and Texas Tech's both, despite me still not having the Hoosiers winning the Big Ten.

First Round Matchups (Games Played on College Campuses)

5. Alabama vs. 12. Memphis
6. Oregon vs. 11. Notre Dame
7. Georgia vs. 10. Georgia Tech
8. Ole Miss vs. 9. Texas A&M

Alabama did enough to survive a real scare at Missouri on Saturday, but nobody in the SEC looks anywhere near fantastic right now. Oregon slides a bit because of the home loss, but should still be safe for a home playoff game. The second through fourth or fifth spots in the SEC will be extremely compelling as those listed above are in the discussion, as will be Oklahoma, LSU, and perhaps others.

Notre Dame got assistance this week by some teams falling ahead of it in the rankings, but these were teams I expected would lose at some point and not ultimately be factors in the CFP. Perhaps the most helpful thing for Notre Dame is that USC manhandled Michigan, meaning the Trojans will almost certainly be ranked for next weeks showdown in South Bend.

CFP Second Round Matchups

1. Ohio State vs. 8. Ole Miss
4. Texas Tech vs. 5. Alabama
3. Indiana vs. 6. Oregon
2. Miami vs. 7. Georgia

If you're Notre Dame, who do you want to play in the first round? It's a rather wide-open year, and there doesn't seem to be a true power from the SEC like in years past. Last week I had the Irish traveling to Oklahoma for the first round, and I must say I'd like that matchup more than a trip to Oregon, even if the Ducks' offense scored just three points in the second half against Indiana on Saturday.

CFP Semi-Final Matchups

1. Ohio State vs. 5. Alabama
2. Miami vs. 3 Indiana

Ohio State somehow looks better than last year while Indiana's win at Oregon was anything but a fluke, controlling the game for nearly the entire second half.

CFP National Championship Game

1. Ohio State over 3. Indiana

Never in my life did I think I would ever say this, but Indiana is one of the two best teams I've seen this year. The Hoosiers are the real deal, and although Ohio State feels a cut above everyone to me this fall, what Curt Cignetti has done in Bloomington is nothing short of absurd.