With its 38-17 win over No. 7 Stanford on Saturday night, Notre Dame changed the College Football Playoff picture heading into October, simply by joining the discussion.
At least for now -- in this weekly snapshot college football lives by until the next upset -- Notre Dame has a 47 percent chance to reach the playoff, according to ESPN's Playoff Predictor. It's an encouraging number and sets a vastly different expectation than what accompanied the underwhelming offensive performances in wins against Ball State and Vanderbilt. The decision to start Ian Book at quarterback instead of Brandon Wimbush the past two games has not only elevated Notre Dame's offense, it has also raised the Irish's playoff hopes.