Stanford ended Notre Dame’s playoff hopes Saturday night after senior kicker Conrad Ukropina nailed a 45-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game.
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Ironically, a blown replay that gave Notre Dame a touchdown with about 30 seconds left in the game was probably a saving grace for Kevin Hogan and the Cardinal giving them just enough time to drive down the field to set up Ukropina for the game winning kick.
With the 38-36 win for Stanford, the college playoff picture perhaps got a little clearer with the conference championship games yet to play. Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Iowa should remain the top four however Stanford probably leapfrogs Notre Dame and Baylor up to No. 7 right behind Ohio State who beat up on Michigan Saturday afternoon.
If Stanford is to somehow sneak in to the playoff, you’d have to expect losses from Michigan State and Alabama plus a Stanford win in the Pac-12 championship game. That could possibly put Clemson at No. 1, Oklahoma at No. 2, Iowa at No. 3 and perhaps a two loss Stanford team at No. 4. It still could be a long shot and an interesting one at that considering you’d still have a one loss defending champion Ohio State team who destroyed Michigan on the road but failed to reach the Big Ten championship game.
