Notre Dame suffered a painful 28-24 defeat to BYU last weekend, ending its 16-game winning streak and handing the Fighting Irish their first loss of the season. The Irish came in with a chance to take over the No. 1 spot after Georgia fell 27-24 to Auburn, but couldn't get the job done themselves and instead left Provo with more questions surrounding the program and whether they're truly national championship contenders. On Wednesday, former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn joined Colin Cowherd on "The Herd" to discuss the Fighting Irish's chances of making the College Football Playoff after their loss to BYU.
"I definitely think they still have a chance to win a national championship. They're that talented, and that's their ceiling. The problem is that there's no room for error," Quinn said.
"It all comes down to that Miami game, assuming they win the rest of their games. They really need to be 11-1. They really need that win to prove to everybody out there they deserve to be part of the playoff.
"Notre Dame should look nowhere else but the mirror. And try to pick up the pieces and make the fixes they need to make because they are capable of winning it all. But they can't afford to lose," Quinn added.
More news: Oregon Gets Double Blow Ahead of Crucial Illinois Matchup Notre Dame's situation brings up bad memories from last season, when the Irish missed the CFP despite finishing with a 10-2 overall record due to their early loss against Miami. That head-to-head win for the Hurricanes gave them the edge in the selection debate, but now the fear of another two-loss season hangs over Notre Dame. That's what makes the rematch between the two college football powerhouses on Nov. 7 so crucial.
A win over Miami this time around would give Notre Dame a valuable victory, knocking off the No. 1 team in the country and giving them an undeniably strong playoff resume even with the loss to BYU. Another loss, however, and history could repeat itself in the worst way possible, with the Irish potentially once again being narrowly edged out of the 12-team playoff field. More news: Lane Kiffin Gets Good News on 2 LSU Stars Before Auburn Game More news: Kentucky HC Will Stein Makes Feelings Clear on 24-Team College Football Playoff Notre Dame's offense under CJ Carr has been explosive, including 50-point blowouts over Rice and Stanford.
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