They didn’t care.
They didn’t care that the first College Football Playoff rankings show made its debut on a rather important Tuesday night in our country for reasons other than sports.
They didn’t care that the Notre Dame football name popped on the screen in a secure spot barely 15 minutes in. They didn’t care that if the season ended today, Notre Dame would be the No. 10 seed and face No. 7 Penn State in a first-round playoff matchup.
They likely didn’t care that you can’t even fly directly into State College, Pennsylvania (short runways, you know) and must bus an hour after your charter lands in Harrisburg.
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They didn’t care.
The first CFP ranking show gave us some good college football conversation — thankfully, it didn’t give us Desmond Howard laughing uncontrollably about who knows what — but that’s all it was. Talk.
“We do see it,” said tight end Eli Raridon. “We don’t pay any attention to it.”
To the players, what happened Tuesday night was just noise, something Notre Dame has learned to deal with — and tune out — for the last six weeks. The Irish have done it that long. Now do it for four final weeks.
Don’t talk to them about rankings. Don’t talk to them about selection shows, though some planned to watch it in the locker room Tuesday night. Not all were that interested.
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“That,” said linebacker Jaylen Sneed, “is what Instagram is for.”
Another in the don’t-care camp.
Notre Dame football relinquished its right to care what others thought on an early September afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium. That was when Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois. That 16-14 loss stings every Thursday around the Gug, but a loss that might serve an ultimate purpose.
“You don’t want to lose that game, but it was kind of like a blessing in disguise, kind of just set us up to have that tunnel vision,” said Notre Dame football captain Xavier Watts. “We lost that game; we don’t care about the outside noise; we don’t care about the rankings. We just have to do what we do — win football games and it will all play out.”
Nobody has forgotten Northern Illinois. Not head coach Marcus Freeman, who reminds his team of it every Thursday. Remember the pain. Feel the pain. Not the players. They live with it. Not even ESPN. It took barely two minutes for host Rece Davis to reference it.
If Notre Dame is somehow left out of the field at 11-1 (yes, that could happen), it will be solely because of Northern Illinois. If Notre Dame snags a CFP spot, it also might be because of the Northern Illinois game. Who saw that coming?
This has been a different Notre Dame team since that September setback. Focused. Driven. Determined. The Irish have ripped off six straight wins and sit at 7-1 heading into Saturday’s home game against Florida State (1-8). Losing to Northern Illinois left Notre Dame no margin for error, but it also simplified the path forward.
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Is Notre Dame the No. 10 seed? Can it sneak into single digits? Can it get to a spot (top eight) where it would host a first-round game? That concept was so foreign in September that it was foolish to even ponder, but don’t kick loose that Air BnB close to campus just yet.
Might Notre Dame slide to 11 or 12? Does a second loss doom Notre Dame entirely?
In early November, nobody knows. Too much to be decided. Too much crazy still to happen. Let that crazy invade the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference. Maybe even the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Mock brackets became a thing this fall for college football, and Notre Dame has been no stranger to the projected field. Earlier in the week, Notre Dame was in the projected field on SI.com and Fox Sports. On Bleacher Report and CBS Sports. All 13 college football analysts/experts/writers on ESPN had Notre Dame somewhere between Nos. 8 and 11.
Everyone around the Gug would take that in a Notre Dame minute.
The Athletic/New York Times had Notre Dame at the start of the week at a 90 percent chance to make the playoff field. Only four teams had higher percentages – Oregon (99 percent), Ohio State (99) and Miami (Fla.) (96).
The Irish aren’t a lock, but at least they have in hand the combination.
Watts knew he’d likely look at his phone after the selection show and see some texts trumpeting the No. 10 seed. Or cursing it. He’d say the same to those who wondered why the Irish weren’t higher or wondered why they were at 10.
Relax.
“One hundred percent,” Watts said. “Just keep winning and it will all play out.”
This college football season turned a corner Tuesday night, but Notre Dame remained on its straight-arrow path. Two hands on the steering wheel, satellite radio playing some tunes. Cruise control set just a few miles per hour over the speed limit. Some snacks nearby. Phone charger charging.
For the last six weeks, the Irish have stayed in their lane. Four more weeks remain. Just keep clicking off the miles. And the wins.
The destination is out there. Not yet within view, but one that’s closing. Quickly.
Until next Tuesday …
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on Twitter: @tnoieNDI
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football knows its College Football Playoff path without any help from TV
