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.
Saturday’s 31-24 victory against No. 17 Louisville will help repair Notre Dame’s reputation. In a game they had to have given the lack of major contenders on this year’s schedule, the Fighting Irish overcame a sloppy start to beat a team ranked near the top of the ACC.
In fact, this win against the Cardinals may end up being the high point on Notre Dame’s record heading into the final playoff rankings in early December.
The positives include a solid game from the defense, which forced three turnovers and came up with a late defensive stop to seal the win — with a little help from Louisville, which completely botched that final possession. Quarterback Riley Leonard played his best game, with 163 yards through the air, a team-best 52 rushing yards and three combined touchdowns.
Scoring a win against a ranked opponent makes Notre Dame one of the big winners from Week 5 of the 2024 season.
Winners
Kansas State
After a stunning loss at No. 22 Brigham Young last weekend, No. 25 Kansas State rebounded with a very solid 42-20 win at home against No. 20 Oklahoma State. With a balanced offense that accounted for 559 total yards — 300 yards running and 259 yards passing — the Wildcats showed why they are one of the elite teams in the Big 12 and a genuine playoff threat. While he had one puzzling interception and might’ve missed on one or two potential big gains through the air, quarterback Avery Johnson finished with 319 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. This performance puts KSU back on track to compete with No. 10 Utah and No. 19 Iowa State for the league’s playoff bid.
Kentucky
Confusing, confounding, impossible to predict and a team that could make some big noise on the way through SEC play. After losing by 25 points to South Carolina and losing 13-12 to Georgia two weeks ago, Kentucky pulled off one of the shocking upsets of the season’s opening month by topping No. 5 Mississippi 20-17. Trailing 17-13 with about five minutes left, the Wildcats went 83 yards in six plays to take the lead and then made a big defensive stand to force the Rebels into a missed 48-yard field goal with under a minute remaining. With Vanderbilt, Florida and Auburn up next, Kentucky could get into the Top 25 before hosting No. 6 Tennessee in October.
Southern California
One week after coming up just short in a 27-24 loss at No. 12 Michigan, the No. 16 Trojans overcame a 21-10 halftime deficit and beat Wisconsin 38-21 for the program’s first win in Big Ten play. The second-half surge that nearly sparked a win in Ann Arbor didn’t immediately carry over against the Badgers, who made the most of three USC turnovers to jump in front at the break. But the Trojans dominated the final two quarters against the Badgers, delivering the coup de grace via a pick-six with five minutes left. USC also dominated possession and shut down the Badgers’ running game to avoid a loss that would’ve doomed any hopes of making the playoff.
UNLV
No. 23 UNLV had spent this week on the front page due to the drama surrounding former quarterback Matt Sluka, who started the first three games but left the program amid a stunning back and forth over his NIL package. Not that you could tell based on Saturday’s 59-14 rout over Fresno State. Sluka was not missed in the least: Backup Hajj-Malik Williams stepped into the starting role and was terrific, completing 13 of 16 throws for 182 yards and three touchdowns with another 119 yards and a score on the ground. The Rebels were able put this week in their rearview mirror and will remain among the leading contenders for the playoff among the Group of Five.
Losers
Mississippi
Stunning, to put things as lightly and kindly as possible. The Rebels had not lost as a double-digit favorite under fifth-year coach Lane Kiffin but never got into a rhythm due to Kentucky’s ability to control tempo, leading to the sort of loss that could mean the difference between an at-large playoff bid and a second-level bowl game. Looking toward December, the Rebels will have to take two of three against No. 13 LSU, No. 18 Oklahoma and No. 1 Georgia to be a factor in the playoff conversation.
Alabama-Birmingham
The decision to hire Trent Dilfer — one of the least experienced head coaches in modern FBS history — has backfired terribly on UAB, which had posted six winning seasons in a row heading into 2023 but is now a woeful 5-12 under the former NFL quarterback after losing 41-18 at home to Navy. Hiring Dilfer in the first place over a bunch of qualified candidates, including former interim coach and current Louisiana-Monroe coach Bryant Vincent, gave the strong impression that UAB was a deeply unserious program. Now one of the worst teams in the American Athletic, the Dilfer-led Blazers are becoming a laughingstock.
Ollie Gordon
Has anyone seen Oklahoma State’s All-America running back? Don’t put all the blame on Gordon, who showed across the first two series against Kansas State that he’s still one of most top runners in college football. Let’s look instead at the Cowboys’ willingness to ignore one of the nation’s best skill talents: Gordon had 10 carries for 69 yards on those first two possessions but just five carries for seven yards the rest of the way. After going for 128 yards in the opener against South Dakota State, Gordon has just 208 yards in four games against Bowl Subdivision competition. His odds of taking home any postseason hardware are as dead as the Cowboys’ playoff hopes.
Wisconsin
The current state of Wisconsin football can be seen in a key fourth down in USC territory in the third quarter. Needing a yard, the Badgers lined up in shotgun, ran into the line of scrimmage and came up short. Ahead 21-17 at that moment, Wisconsin wouldn’t score again. This team is not physical, not athletic, not explosive, not tough and not built in any way that resembles the identity that defined the program for decades. Instead, this looks like a program in clear decline with no obvious path back to relevancy.
