To stay in contention for the College Football Playoffs, Notre Dame will have to first prove themselves against Stanford. A loss, and you are no longer in the running, a win and you are in the final talks for the playoffs, but with out a conference championship, Notre Dame could still fail to get a spot in the final four. This means the Irish have to make this a statement win and leave all questions answered about who this team really is.
As of right now, Notre Dame is out of the Top 4. The Irish are currently ranked 6th in the College Football Playoff Top 25.