Notre Dame’s playoff hopes are done, but they’re not off the big stage

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but Notre Dame’s dreams of a national title this season are finished. Their loss Saturday to Stanford cemented that fact. Even with all the craziness in the world, the Fighting Irish won’t be in the final four.

However, that doesn’t mean they are off of the national stage.

Notre Dame sits in a prime position to still finish their season at one of the New Year’s Six bowl games. After the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, Notre Dame sits at No. 8, right in the mix for one of the remaining four New Year’s Six games.

Even if Notre Dame dropped in the final rankings before the bowl games, they would almost certainly be in one of the major bowls, likely the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.

Making the trip even more exciting, they would likely end up playing a Big Ten team, either Ohio State or the loser of the Big Ten Championship game between Michigan State and Iowa.