The brutal loss to Michigan last Saturday was a lot for Notre Dame football fans to take in. Many of us had tunnel vision, with the College Football Playoff at the end of that tunnel — especially after watching Oklahoma lose earlier in the day.
Obviously, the loss in Ann Arbor closed that tunnel, and it left many Irish fans in the dark in terms of what to hope for during the rest of the 2019 season.
There are 130 teams that play FBS football. Only four get to the playoff. Missing out on the four-team tournament should not be considered a failure.