Notre Dame's schedule is not the gauntlet they're selling. They have to go to Texas A&M, who might be a mess, and host Florida State, who they always struggle with. Their other tough games are Louisville and USC at home. Compare that to LSU's path. The Tigers face USC, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Texas A&M on the road, plus Ole Miss and Florida. That's objectively harder. Notre Dame's defense was solid last year, but they lost key pieces. Their offense under Riley Leonard has major questions, especially after averaging just 6.1 yards per play last season, which ranked outside the top 40. LSU returns a more proven QB in Garrett Nussmeier and a defense that improved its havoc rate dramatically in the second half of last season. The Irish are a good team, but calling them a playoff lock over Oregon or Georgia ignores their offensive limitations and the fact the SEC champion, which could very well be LSU, is getting in over a one-loss Notre Dame every single time. The committee's history proves that.