First Four Out: Alabama, Texas, Vanderbilt, BYU
There are two spots for Notre Dame, Miami and Alabama. The committee has already favored the Irish over the Hurricanes in recent rankings and, with neither team playing, there is no reason to believe that will change. So that puts Notre Dame into the field. Then it comes down to Miami at 10-2 and Alabama at 10-3. The Crimson Tide lost a third game and that should matter.
What should not matter is that the ACC does not have one of the best five conference champions. Can a conference who does not earn an automatic bid receive an at-large? The optics are not great, but Miami’s resume has not changed. With all that said, do not be surprised if the committee chooses Alabama and even puts them ahead of Notre Dame as the #9 seed.
American: Tulane
ACC: Miami (FL)
Big 12: Texas Tech
Big Ten: Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon
C-USA: None
Independent: Notre Dame
MAC: None
MWC: None
SEC: Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
Sun Belt: James Madison
