Strength of schedule seems important for every team but the Irish

Special to The Providence Journal

The more things change, the more they remain the same. With the first College Football Playoff rankings out, once again they are an advertisement for Notre Dame bias. You already know the story — Notre Dame sets its own schedule (with the exception of five rotating teams from the weak ACC) and independent status means no conference championship game. Finishing 10-2 every year almost guarantees the Irish a spot in the CFP. We sarcastically predicted the Irish clinched a CFP berth here before they even played. This year appears to be no different. The Irish lost their first two games to ranked teams — Texas A&M and Miami. Now they shouldn’t be penalized for those close losses but their only remaining victory over a ranked team was USC, 34-24, leaving them