Unfortunately for the No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, their dramatic comeback effort fell just short in a 36-28 defeat to the 12th-ranked Michigan State Spartans on Saturday night in South Bend.
However, the loss was likely doubly painful for Brian Kelly's team. Barring complete and utter chaos, Notre Dame's 2016 season will not include a College Football Playoff berth.
The Irish opened the campaign with a stunning double-overtime loss at Texas. One shortcoming—as several teams, including both previous champions (2014 Ohio State and 2015 Alabama) have proved—does not eliminate a program from contention.