The last thing I want to be doing right now is writing this. But I have to eventually, so might as well rip off the band-aid.
It should be said at the outset that the lone bright spot for Notre Dame is that they can still make the newly-expanded 12-team College Football Playoff so long as they win the remainder of their games. As for the feasibility of doing so after what just happened against Northern freaking Illinois — as well as the feasibility of actually winning games in the Playoff since a 5-seed is likely off the table for the Irish — the outlook isn’t so bright.