The Fighting Irish are on a five-game winning streak after starting the season with two losses. Week 8 brought an ultimate delight, as the Irish took down their archrival USC, 34-24. At 5-2 and with a relatively easier schedule remaining, Marcus Freeman’s team can look to finish 10-2. But as per one analyst, that may not guarantee them a playoff spot.

Joel Klatt hosted Chris ‘Bear’ Fallica on his podcast, where the duo drafted the 12-team playoff bracket for the 2025 season. While some picks were obvious in Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, and Alabama, the latter half of the bracket gave them plenty to consider. Fallica outlined one particular scenario that doesn’t bode well for Notre Dame.

“Miami wins out 11-1. Do not make the ACC championship game because of the tiebreaker scenario. Georgia Tech wins out, which would mean they win against Georgia Thanksgiving weekend. 12-0, go to the ACC championship game,” said Fallica.  The analyst then presented a likely scenario where Notre Dame might be “squeezed out” from the playoffs.

“Blue is a close game to Virginia or whoever. The conference champions in Georgia Tech got a win over a playoff team (Georgia). Miami’s got a win over Notre Dame. Could that be the situation, maybe where 10 and 2 Notre Dame is squeezed out?” asked Fallica. Joel Klatt, without any hesitation, agreed in affirmation. “Yes. Yes. In that very specific scenario, Notre Dame is squeezed out. There’s no doubt.” While Joel Klatt called the scenario highly unlikely, there’s a good chance it can play out.

Georgia Tech is 7-0 so far and has just Georgia as a tough game on its schedule. But we have seen Georgia’s weaknesses against Alabama and Tennessee, ranging from weak passing defense (71st nationally) to the D-line not putting too much pressure (130th in TFLs). Georgia Tech, on the other hand, is a different story. The team is 12th nationally in rushing offense and 23rd nationally in third-down conversions. So, an upset is not that unlikely. Just last season, it took the Bulldogs multiple overtimes to beat the Yellow Jackets.

As for the Virginia Cavaliers and Miami dynamic, that possibility can also play out, since Virginia is 6-1 in the season. It has defeated teams like Florida State, the Louisville Cardinals, and Washington State.

Virginia’s possibility of dampening Notre Dame’s playoff hopes is quite high

Going forward, Virginia’s schedule looks quite gettable. The team has easy games against UNC, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. Moreover, it can also go past Duke and Cal. So, with an 11-1 season, Virginia will make the ACC game. Why? Miami will likely lose the spot due to the Louisville game tiebreaker. It surely then would not be too far-fetched to imagine a Virginia vs. Georgia Tech game in the ACC championship.

Even Joel Klatt mentioned the quality of the Virginia Team and predicted a high possibility of seeing them in the ACC game. “By the way, Virginia has done a great job this season,” said Klatt. Head coach Tony Elliot also has high expectations with the team and even blasted the AP poll for excluding them. “We’re not going to let that poll define us. The only poll that matters is the one that comes out at the end of the season,” said Elliot. The verdict?

While Joel Klatt may have outlined the scenario by Fallica to be unlikely. When looked at closely, the scenario has almost a 50% chance to play out. This would essentially mean that Notre Dame won’t get a chance to go for the natty. But we’ll see an ACC underdog in Virginia going into the playoffs.