Four playoff spots. Five major conferences. Tale as old as time (or as old as the College Football Playoff. Ok, so two years old). There isn’t space at the table for every power 5 champion. It’s one of the main reasons that expansion to an 8-team playoff seems inevitable.
Last year, 1-loss Big XII co-champions Baylor and TCU were both sent to New Years’ 6 games instead of semifinals. Another power conference will be left out this year. If Notre Dame wins out they’ll also have a strong resume. If the Irish take a spot, the committee has three lines on the bracket for five conferences.