The College Football Playoff rankings show had barely hit its closing music when chaos broke loose. In one of the most eyebrow-raising reveals of the night, the Fighting Irish, the team that stumbled to an 0–2 start, somehow cracked the top 10. While fans rubbed their eyes in disbelief, CFP Committee Chair Mack Rhoades was already bracing for impact. The Baylor AD took the mic to explain what looked like one of the most puzzling placements of the season, and his defense only added more fuel to the fire.

In a teleconference following the rankings reveal, The Athletic’s Ari Wasserman asked what most of America wanted to hear. Notre Dame beat writer Jack Soble shared the reasoning on November 4 on X.

According to Mack Rhoades, “I think it starts with two losses, total of 4 points against two very, very good teams. One of them ranked third in the country and one ranked 18th.” Fair enough. The Irish fell narrowly to No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 18 Miami. Since then, Marcus Freeman’s team has reeled off six straight wins.

Rhoades doubled down. “We talked about, I think early on defensively, maybe they weren’t as good as what we thought they would be,” he said. “But certainly most recent, it seems like they’ve been much, much better defensively.” He even went full analyst mode, calling the duo of Jadarian Price and Jeremiah Love “probably the best backfield in the country.”

That’s a bold statement when Michigan and Georgia still exist, but the tape doesn’t lie. Notre Dame ran wild on USC even after losing its starting center.

At the heart of it all is freshman QB CJ Carr, whom Mack credited with stability and poise. It’s rare for the committee chair to sound like he’s reading off a scouting report, but here we are. The 6-2 Irish are even ahead of 7-2 SEC teams No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 13 Texas. Still, one question lingered. What about Miami’s head-to-head win over Notre Dame? Shouldn’t that count for something? 

The CFP chair didn’t flinch. “Head-to-head really matters when teams are comparable.” The Irish are no longer the same team that opened the season 0–2. That’s the committee’s story, and they’re sticking to it. But not everyone’s buying the narrative. While the committee insists its logic is sound, fans across social media had one unified reaction – utter disbelief.

Fans torch the logic behind Notre Dame’s ranking

Fans hit the nerve right away. The CFP’s logic felt less about resumes and more about reputation. One agitated person commented, “Isn’t it supposed to be who actually… Wins games. Not about players they like in a scouting report?” When rankings start sounding like recruiting evaluations, credibility gets shaky fast.

If six straight wins erase head-to-head losses, then scoreboard results start to feel like window dressing. “So basically the games don’t really matter,” one person wrote. That’s the brutal fan summary of Mack Rhoades’ comments. 

And then there’s the projection keyword. “So much projection in this explanation, it’s sickening. The @CFBPlayoff process continues to improve, but this @NDFootball spot is just dumb,” another user wrote. Fans feel the committee didn’t reward what Notre Dame did, but what it might do. That’s a slippery slope when Playoff stakes are this high.

Sarcasm levels hit high. “So scientific, wtf kind of explanation is that,” another lashed. Fans mocked the committee’s data-driven tone, calling it pseudo-science.

The last one cuts deep. “So if Notre Dame gets rewarded for winning 6 straight games, then why does UVA not get rewarded for the same thing? Committee only cares about eye test,” another said. The “eye test” continues to be college football’s most subjective weapon and Notre Dame just benefited from it.

Even as social media burned, the players themselves kept their focus where it mattered. As defensive end Joshua Burnham put it, “We can’t have guys focusing on all of that. We have to come in and work every day.” And maybe that’s the real Notre Dame message. While the country debates its worthiness, the Irish are just quietly stacking wins and waiting for December to settle the score.