Paul Finebaum Sends Blunt Warning to Notre Dame After BYU Upset

Notre Dame dropped its first game of the season Saturday, falling 28-24 to No. 8 BYU in Provo, Utah.

The No. 2 Fighting Irish fell to 6-1 on the season with a loss that exposed serious issues on both sides of the ball.

BYU led 21-10 at halftime before the Irish rallied to take a 24-21 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the game. The Cougars answered with a late touchdown, and Notre Dame's final drive ended at the BYU 7-yard line. Quarterback CJ Carr threw for 261 yards but didn't record a single touchdown.

On Monday, Paul Finebaum questioned whether Notre Dame would make the College Football Playoff at all at this point, saying he expects BYU to get in but asked whether the Irish will join them.

"I know BYU's gonna be in the playoffs, the real question is, is Notre Dame?" Finebaum said. "I know that sounds crazy because a couple of days ago we were talking about Notre Dame as possibly a potential national championship contender. But if you look at the schedule, they have to deal with Miami, the No. 1 team in the country, in a couple of weeks at home. This is a game that cost them a chance at playing for a championship last year, and if they drop that game, I don't think they're going back to the playoffs."

More news: Texas Makes Surprising Move That Could Put Arch Manning’s Job at Risk

Last year, Notre Dame finished 10-2 after winning 10 straight games to close out their season, but were left out of the CFP, finishing No. 11 as the first team outside the field. Miami claimed the final at-large spot with the committee turning to their head-to-head victory over Notre Dame earlier in the season. The Irish ultimately declined a bowl invitation.

Unfortunately for Notre Dame, a similar outcome could be in the cards again this season. They're now 6-1, but Saturday was their first game against a ranked opponent, and they lost. They still don't have a signature win, and as an independent program, the Irish can't win a conference championship to strengthen their playoff case.

More news: Tennessee Bracing for SEC Punishment After Upsetting Alabama

More news: Bob Chesney Sends Strong Message as UCLA Stays Undefeated

That makes every game from here on out potentially do-or-die. The remaining schedule for Notre Dame includes Navy on Oct. 31, followed by home games against Miami, Boston College, and SMU before closing their regular season at Syracuse. The safest path for them is to win out, with that Hurricanes clash being the most important game left on the calendar.