Account
Gary Barta: Brian Kelly's Departure Can Be Considered in Notre Dame's CFP Case
December 1, 2021
Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes this season may have gone out the door with Brian Kelly.
Iowa athletic director Gary Barta, who's also the chair of the CFP selection committee, indicated during Tuesday's rankings announcement that Kelly's departure for LSU could be a consideration when determining the Fighting Irish's final position:
It's not uncommon for a coach to move onto a new job before his team competes in a bowl game. Kelly did it when he accepted Notre Dame's offer in December 2009, putting Jeff Quinn in charge to guide Cincinnati to a 51-24 defeat to Florida in the Sugar Bowl.
But Kelly's decision is almost without precedent because Notre Dame is still in the playoff picture.
The Fighting Irish remained sixth in the updated rankings:
College Football Playoff @CFBPlayoffCheck out the full <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFBPlayoff?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFBPlayoff</a> selection committee rankings for games played through November 27. <br><br>Where does your team rank as we head into conference championship weekend and Selection Day?<br><br>🏈🏆 <a href="https://t.co/RBhlBBCWeQ">pic.twitter.com/RBhlBBCWeQ</a>
At the moment, they're on the outside looking in, but some combination of losses by Alabama, Michigan, Cincinnati and Oklahoma State would presumably catapult them into the top four. Given the way this year has unfolded, that sequence of events isn't out of the question.
Of course, the above logic applied before Barta's comments. Now, it looks like Notre Dame may not have a straightforward path—or any path at all—into the playoff.
Granted, the selection committee may be wary of the optics behind snubbing the Fighting Irish if the conference championship games swing their way.
Tom Loy @TomLoy247Penalizing this 11-1 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NotreDame</a> team, which has been outstanding during the 2nd half of the year, because a head coach left before the season ended, would be one of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen in this sport. If two of five ahead of them lose, the Irish deserve to be in. <a href="https://t.co/3Au7S1MMQj">https://t.co/3Au7S1MMQj</a>
But Barta presumably wouldn't have said what he did if the committee wasn't prepared to at least seriously weigh Notre Dame's coaching situation as part of its overall resume.
By taking the LSU job when he did, Kelly likely ensured he's public enemy No. 1 in South Bend, Indiana, for some time. If he ultimately torpedoed the Irish's title chances in the process, it's likely he'd never be forgiven by Notre Dame fans.