Some people are wondering why Penn State is ranked ahead of Notre Dame, and the College Football Playoff chair explained it in a teleconference Tuesday night.
Both Penn State and Notre Dame have one loss but some felt that the way Notre Dame has been playing for the past two-plus monthsโ nine straight wins with eight by three touchdowns or moreโ warranted it moving ahead of Penn State and into the top four.
But the committee kept Penn State at No. 4 and moved Notre Dame from No. 6 to No. 5 on account of No. 5 Indiana losing at Ohio State this past Saturday.
HEREโS WHY
EAST LANSING, MI – OCTOBER 21: Michigan Wolverines Athletics Director Warde Manuel greets people prior to a college football game between the Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines on October 21, 2023 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI. (Photo by Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire)
โWell, you know, there was a lot of discussion about those teams and how they performed,โ Manuel, whoโs also Michiganโs athletic director. โPenn Stateโs only loss is to the No. 2 team in the country. They have a win over No. 23 Illinois.
โNotre Dame has (a win) now over No. 20 Texas A&M as of today. Army is not in the rankings. Notre Dameโs loss was to Northern Illinois at the beginning of the year. But theyโve won nine straight games in pretty dominant fashion since then. And so from our standpoint, resumes are pretty close in terms of how we see them. Obviously, with them ranked four and five.โ
โThey both have games this week that we will watch. Weโll be watching how they perform and start assessing when we get together on Monday (of next week, to look at what transpired over the weekend.โ
Why is Penn State ranked ahead of Notre Dame? I asked CFP Chair Warde Manuel that question tonight. Hereโs what he said. pic.twitter.com/q4coSEgyU6
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) November 27, 2024
COMPARING RESUMES
SOUTH BEND, IN – OCTOBER 12: The World of Life “Touchdown Jesus” mural overlooks Notre Dame Stadium prior to a college football game between the Stanford Cardinal and Notre Dame Fighting Irish on October 12, 2024 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire)
- Penn State is 10-1. So is Notre Dame.
- Penn Stateโs loss is to No. 2 Ohio State. Notre Dame lost to 6-5 Northern Illinois
- Penn State has the 32nd-ranked strength of schedule. Notre Dame is at 78.
- Penn Stateโs strength of record is No. 4. Notre Dane is at 10.
- Each team has one ranked with, with Penn State beating No. 23 Illinois and Notre Dame winning at No. 20 Texas A&M.
Penn State ends its regular season this Saturday against Maryland at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 on the Big Ten Network.
