The logical reaction Tuesday night when Notre Dame received its surprising and lofty No. 5 ranking in the first College Football Playoff Poll — and a scenario nobody could have seen coming — was that the Irish were handed the chance to control their own destiny in claiming one of the coveted four postseason spots.
Ranked only No. 8 by the AP, popular belief heading into Tuesday’s announcement was that the Irish would likely crack the top 10 in the first installment of the only poll that matters, but that they would need plenty of help from the teams above to have any realistic shot at a playoff invitation.