2023 CFP implications of No. 25 Louisville defeating No. 10 Notre Dame

The No. 25 Louisville Cardinals silenced a lot of doubters in Week 6 with a dominant second-half performance against the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, winning the pivotal Week 6 contest 33-20 and cementing themselves as ACC contenders. The Cardinals had a disastrous sequence to start the second half with the score tied 7-7, but regrouped before eventually pulling away in the fourth quarter. Here’s a look at how Louisville’s win over Notre Dame impacts the College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame’s playoff hopes are dashed. The Irish lost their margin for error with the last-second loss to Ohio State, and they needed to win out to have the resume to beat out a conference champion. That’s not going to happen with two losses. It’s a harsh reality for Marcus Freeman’s group, but that’s how things go when you are an independent.

On the flip side, Louisville is looking extremely solid. The Cardinals won’t have to play any of Clemson, Florida State or North Carolina until the ACC title game. There’s still some tough matchups with games against Duke, Miami and Kentucky but two of those are at home. Even if the Cardinals lose to Kentucky, the conference title game is still a possibility. Getting a quality win over Notre Dame could propel this squad to amazing things.