It's a hard bracket and it's hard getting there, but it was always going to be hard.
The College Football Playoff Committee released their second poll Tuesday night, and Oregon jumped up one slot to the No. 8 spot, which means they are on track to host a playoff game in the first round at Autzen Stadium against one of the most storied programs in the game, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Playoff football is always going to be a gauntlet. The current 9th-seeded Irish are 7-2, with early season losses to Miami and Texas A&M, seven straight wins since, including Arkansas, Boise State and No.