Georgia looked like the best team in the country most of last season. But the College Football Playoff came and went without Kirby Smart’s Dawgs because they had to face an elite Alabama team in the SEC title game, and the upset win for Nick Saban’s team ended up keeping Georgia out.

No. 14 Notre Dame is never going to live down this month’s loss to Northern Illinois, especially with the Huskies dropping two of three since the upset in South Bend. But the College Football Playoff math still favors the Fighting Irish: win out and you’re (very likely) in the 12-team field.