The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are off to a dreadful 0-2 start, although it's fair to extend some grace. They have faced the number 10 and the number four team in the nation, and they've lost by a combined four points.
However, when it comes to the College Football Playoff, closes losses to good teams don't mean a whole lot. Their resume is still totally lacking, and they now face an uphill battle to return to the CFP for a second straight season. Unfortunately, Notre Dame in particular being 0-2 makes for a unique challenge.
ESPN's Heather Dinich revealed just why the Fighting Irish are in so much danger, maybe more so than others off to slow starts. "Following an 0-2 start, the Irish dropped out of the most recent top 12 prediction. The Irish no longer control their playoff path; they need to win out and get some help from other contenders losing," she wrote.
It's not impossible, but Notre Dame isn't part of a conference, so they can't win the conference and get a guaranteed spot in the playoff. They now have to rely solely on the 12-game slate, of which they've already lost two games. 10-2 and not being a conference champion isn't a guaranteed entry, either.
Notre Dame could win out and still not make it. "Its two best chances against ranked opponents are already lost. Notre Dame's chances of reaching the playoff dropped to 6% after its home loss to Texas A&M," Dinich concluded. Notre Dame is in a very unique position in college football, but after an 0-2 start, that position might be doing much more harm than good.