The folks on ESPN's "College GameDay" have spotted a trend: A team that suffers an early-season loss isn't necessarily out of the College Football Playoff hunt.
In fact, 13 of the 16 teams that have made the CFP since it debuted in 2014 have done so with one loss. So there's a chance the loser of Saturday's Michigan-Notre Dame matchup (7:30 p.m., NBC) can still make the final four.
"This is not an all-or-nothing game," said ESPN analyst Desmond Howard, who won the Heisman Trophy with U-M in 1991. "No matter who wins or who loses, both teams will still be in the playoff hunt.