Notre Dame can punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff with a victory over Clemson, who they defeated earlier this season (albeit without Trevor Lawrence), in Saturday’s ACC title game. For the Irish, it would be their second playoff nod in three years. However, coach Brian Kelly cautioned Friday there’s no guarantee the Irish would accept their invitation if selected as one of the four playoff teams.
This year’s semifinal games will take place in both New Orleans (Sugar Bowl) and Pasadena (Rose Bowl). It’s the latter destination that worries Kelly as California’s COVID regulations would prevent families from attending. That’s a deal-breaker for Kelly, who sees little point in competing if players can’t share the experience with family members. “I'm not sure we'll play in the playoffs if the parents can't be there,” said Kelly via ESPN’s Andrea Adelson. “Why would you go to a game where your families can't be part of it? What's the sense of playing a game in an area of the country where nobody can be part of it?"
While Kelly raises a valid point—the prospect of playing at the Rose Bowl, one of the most historic venues in college football, loses much of its luster without fans—it’s hard to believe Notre Dame would walk away from the chance to win a National Championship. Los Angeles County public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said last month she doesn’t anticipate spectators to be allowed at sporting events anytime soon. College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock is optimistic a compromise can still be reached, though obviously the clock is ticking.
“My kids have been on campus since June. They haven't seen their families very much at all. They've had to fight through COVID, some of them have had COVID,” said Kelly, whose Fighting Irish hold the nation’s longest active winning streak at 16 games. “They can't be around their families for Christmas and you're going to tell me we're going to have a playoff and maybe one site can have families and the other can't?”
We’ve seen other programs, including Boston College, eschew bowl games amid COVID concerns, but with all due to respect to BC, the Eagles weren’t in the running for a national title. Perhaps the playoff committee will appease Notre Dame by slotting them in the Sugar Bowl or maybe Clemson will boat-race the Irish this weekend, rendering it a moot point. But if Notre Dame, arguably the sport’s biggest draw, declines its playoff invite, the NCAA could have a looming PR catastrophe on its hands.
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