Crapshoot Sunday

 The Domers used to have saying, back when Notre Dame used to win national titles often enough that people were still alive who could remember the last one. That saying was "God made Notre Dame No. 1."

Well. God apparently being busy with other matters these days, it's now Clemson that has made Notre Dame whatever it will be.

The Tigers won the Great Rematch, and the ACC title, 34-10 last night, and it wasn't really that close. What it revealed was that Notre Dame's overtime win in the first meeting was, if not fraudulent, at least sorely misleading. And it was sorely misleading because we all overlooked something we shouldn't have overlooked.

No, not that Trevor Lawrence didn't play, although he was a mighty force in last night's lamination.

It was that the Clemson D was missing some fairly crucial pieces, too, and that's why Ian Book and the Irish contrived to hang a juicy 47 on 'em.

Those pieces were all back last night, and the Irish got Real Clemsoned as a result. The Irish running game squeezed out just 44 yards. Book, sacked six times and routed from the pocket countless others, spent the night doing a serviceable impression of Harrison Ford in "The Fugitive." And the Irish receivers did a serviceable impression of Invisible.

So here we are, on College Football Playoff Sunday. Also known, because of yesterday, as Crapshoot Sunday.

Clemson and Alabama are locks. The waters get murkier thereafter.

Which is the real Notre Dame, the team that beat depleted Clemson in overtime or the team that got floor-waxed by full-service Clemson last night? Is Ohio State, with its short sample size and unimpressive 22-10 win over Northwestern in the Big Ten title game, still the fourth-best CFP option? And what about unbeaten Cincinnati and once-beaten Texas A&M?

The Bearcats beat up a lot of  Austin Peays and East Carolinas on their way to 9-0, and they squeaked by Tulsa 27-24 in their conference title game, which does not inspire confidence they'd be a formidable challenge for a 'Bama or Clemson. A&M, on the other hand, has only a 24-10 loss to the Clemsons as a blot on their record. They whupped everyone else -- including Florida, which lost 52-46 to the Crimson Tide in the SEC title game.

Which means you've got 'Bama and you've got Clemson and then some combination of Notre Dame/Ohio State/A&M, by the Blob's lights.

Probably it's going to be Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame, in that order.

Probably, if it's not Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame in that order. it will be Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Texas A&M.

Probably folks in College Station and environs are going to be way miffed today, if folks in South Bend and environs are not way miffed.

If A&M gets in, people will say, "Oh, sure, the SEC."

If Notre Dame gets in, people will say, "Oh, sure, Notre Dame."

Me?

I think it's Notre Dame because, OK, they're Notre Dame. And also because, extenuating circumstances or not, they're the only team to beat Clemson this season.

You may commence your howling, College Station.