CFP chair: Kelly's departure impacted Notre Dame's ranking
College Football Playoff chairman Gary Barta admitted Tuesday that Brian Kelly's departure factored into where the selection committee placed Notre Dame in the penultimate reveal.
"Our protocol does include the ability to evaluate how a player or coach not being available to participate might affect the outcome of a game," Barta said, according to Tyler Horka of BlueAndGold.
Kelly bolted Notre Dame for LSU on Tuesday, inking a 10-year contract worth $95 million, plus incentives. The Fighting Irish haven't named an interim coach.
Notre Dame landed at No. 6 in the second-last reveal, making the Irish a long shot to reach the four-team playoff. Unlike the five teams ahead of them in the rankings, the Irish won't have an opportunity to boost their stock in a conference championship game.
Notre Dame is ranked No. 6 in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings. The Irish need two of the following to lose their conference championship games:
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) December 1, 2021
2 Michigan (vs 13 Iowa)
3 Alabama (vs. 1 Georgia)
4 Cincinnati (vs. 21 Houston)
5 Oklahoma State (vs 9 Baylor)
The selection committee will unveil the final rankings Sunday after the conference championships, deciding which four teams will move on to compete for the national title.