Is Notre Dame in danger of missing CFP? Familiar conversation around Irish emerges after first loss of season

We've reached midseason in college football, and like last year, we're bringing up Notre Dame's unsettling playoff predicament under Marcus Freeman.

Two years removed from a national championship appearance, this is not where the Fighting Irish expected to be after missing the bracket last fall. Coming out of Saturday night's loss at BYU, Notre Dame moved back two spots to No. 4 and, more importantly, missed out on the first of three CFP resume-building opportunities this season.

Notre Dame's Nov. 7 showdown against unbeaten and top-ranked Miami has been designated as one of college football's most important games since the summer. Now, it brings considerably more intrigue for the now one-loss Fighting Irish.

How's it going to look to the CFP Selection Committee if Notre Dame goes 0-for-2 in big-game spots just as it did last season, leading to a bowl opt-out after Freeman's team was excluded from the playoff field?

"Everybody's got to hold themselves accountable during this process," Freeman said Saturday night ahead of Notre Dame's open date before Navy on Oct. 31. "We'll be ready."

As far as metrics go, the numbers are still solid for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish rank fourth nationally in game control…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/