Notre Dame climbs to No. 5 in the CFP rankings. Could a loss to USC still leave the Irish with a path to the playoff?

Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry preview the Week 14 Notre Dame-USC matchup, and why they believe an Irish win would serve as a data point for the CFP committee to slide ND ahead of Penn State in the rankings.

Nov 23, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Jacolby George (3) scores a touchdown against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Notre Dame remains behind Penn State in the College Football Playoff rankings but that could just be temporary.

When No. 5 Notre Dame visits rival Southern California in Los Angeles for the 95th all-time meeting between the programs, the Fighting Irish are playing to lock up a berth

Wyoming Area grad Dominic DeLuca (0) came up with a first-half interception that led to a field goal in Penn State’s 26-25 win over Minnesota on Saturday. The win helped the Nittany Lions hold steady at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff Committee’s rankings on Tuesday. That translates to a No. 6 seed and a home game in the first round.

The Penn State Nittany Lions remained one spot ahead of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Week 4 edition of the College Football Playoff rankings.

It’ll be interesting to see if Penn State and Notre Dame’s rankings switch after the final weekend of the regular season. Penn State is a significant favorite at home against Maryland. Notre Dame travels to face USC — which Penn State beat in overtime back in October.