Notre Dame finds itself in one of the strangest positions imaginable heading into Championship Weekend. They sit at No. 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings as the last at-large team in, yet they are completely powerless to control their own destiny.

What makes this situation particularly maddening for Notre Dame fans is that their fate hinges not just on who wins Saturday’s games, but on how teams win, especially in the Big 12 Championship between No. 4 Texas Tech and No. 11 BYU. And among all of this is one scenario that just might save Notre Dame. But it is borderline impossible.

Scenario A: The Nightmare, BYU Wins

Let’s start with the worst-case scenario for South Bend. It’s pretty straightforward. If BYU beats Texas Tech on Saturday night in Arlington, Notre Dame is almost

See Full Page