Notre Dame had a wonderfully successful off-week due to a slate full of carnage and chaos involving teams ranked ahead of the Irish. When the dust had settled, Notre Dame, without playing a game, landed squarely back in prime playoff position which has generated a renewed spark of excitement within the fanbase for the second half of the year.

Notre Dame returns from its bye week in control of its own playoff destiny. Next up is Stanford on Saturday. With one loss already, the Fighting Irish must defend their home field against a Cardinal squad trying to gain traction during its toughest stretch of the season, following back-to-back losses to then-No. 17 Clemson and Virginia Tech.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 11 Notre Dame entered its bye week hopeful of making a playoff push. It returns to the field Saturday in control of its playoff fate. The next step: Beating Stanford.

If there’s a team that cannot afford another slip up, it’s the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Any early-season momentum following a road win at Texas A&M was erased by an inexplicable home loss to Northern Illinois that looks worse every week.

Notre Dame has righted the ship a bit since that shocking loss to Northern Illinois, but Marcus Freeman and the Irish still have work to do (and schedule issues to overcome) if they want a spot in the College Football Playoff.