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Notre Dame has one more chance to impress the College Football Playoff committee when it takes on Stanford this Saturday night, but that won't be the only game that impacts where the Irish are in the final playoff rankings. There are other games that could determine whether Notre Dame moves up, or even moves down.

Navy got things kicked off well by beating Memphis on Thursday night, which improves the Midshipmen to 9-2. That makes the 49-10 Notre Dame win over Navy just three weeks ago a lot more impressive. But there are more games that can help improve Notre Dame's resume, or result in the Irish moving around in the rankings.

Below are the games that Notre Dame fans should pay attention to – and who to root for – that will help the Irish not only lock in a playoff spot, but move up and host.

RESUME BUILDERS

#3 TEXAS A&M (11-0) at #16 TEXAS (8-3)

Location: Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas)
Date: Friday – November 28
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Network: ABC
Line: Texas A&M -2.5, O/U: 52.5

Who To Root For: Texas A&M

Notre Dame doesn't really get dinged if Texas A&M loses to Texas, but if they lose to Texas, still get into the SEC title game and lose again it could hurt the Irish resume just a bit. If they win out, and win the SEC, that gives the Irish a huge boost. It not only would make their loss even better, but it would also give a loss to a team ranked ahead of Notre Dame (Georgia) or behind them (Alabama). But the Aggies need to first beat Texas in order to get into the SEC title game, and that's why this game matters.

#12 MIAMI (9-2) at #22 PITTSBURGH (8-3)

Location: Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Date: Saturday – November 29
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Network: ABC
Line: Miami -6.5, O/U: 49.5

Who To Root For: Pittsburgh

For a long time I've wanted Miami to climb back into the playoff hunt so that Notre Dame could potentially get a rematch. After listening to Miami fans and their nonstop complaining, and the hypocritical whining from some national analysts and writers, I'm at the point where I just want to see the Hurricanes get whipped by Pitt and be out completely. That's my emotional response, but the practical one is that a good win means more than a good loss, and if Pitt beats Miami it will make Notre Dame's 37-15 victory over the Panthers a far better resume builder than their week one loss to Miami. The Hurricanes would remain ranked with a loss, so that would still be a quality loss. A Panther victory, however, would vault them into the Top 20 and hopefully give the Irish a pair of Top 20 wins. 

UCLA (5-6) at #17 USC (8-3)

Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Date: Saturday – November 29
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Network: NBC
Line: USC -21.5, O/U: 58.5

Who To Root For: USC

USC only dropped two spots after losing at Oregon last week, so that remains a very important win for Notre Dame. My concern is that USC doesn't handle that loss well and gets upset by their crosstown rival. If USC wins they remain in the Top 20 and could even jump back into the Top 15 if a couple of teams ahead of them lose. That's certainly possible, with #14 Vanderbilt playing at #19 Tennessee, #15 Michigan playing at #1 Ohio State and #16 Texas hosting #3 Texas A&M.

Boise State beating Utah State and NC State beating North Carolina are positives for Notre Dame in that they will help boost their overall strength of schedule, but they aren't needle movers in a way that jumps the Irish over Oklahoma. 

PLAYOFF CONTENDERS

#7 OLE MISS (10-1) at MISSISSIPPI STATE (5-6)

Location: Davis Wade Stadium (Starkville, Miss.)
Date: Friday – November 28
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Network: ABC
Line: Ole Miss -7.5, O/U: 62.5

Who To Root For: Mississippi State

Ole Miss dropped one spot closer to Notre Dame last week and if they drop the Egg Bowl the odds are very, very strong that Notre Dame would jump them. The Irish have a much better looking resume when you look at the various metrics the committee uses, but right now the Rebels are 10-1 and the Irish are 9-2. If the records are matched up the only advantage Ole Miss really has goes away and the Irish jump up. 

#4 GEORGIA (10-1) at #23 GEORGIA TECH (9-2)

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Ga.)
Date: Friday – November 28
Time: 3:30 PM ET 
Network: ABC
Line: Georgia -13.5, O/U: 59.5

Who To Root For: Georgia Tech

Whether or not Georgia falls behind Notre Dame with a loss is a much-different question, but Alabama went from No. 4 to No. 10 after losing at home to then No. 11 ranked Oklahoma. One would think there's a good chance Georgia falls to No. 9 or No. 10 should they lose to No. 23 ranked Georgia Tech. This is a bad matchup for the Yellow Jackets, so I expect a Georgia win, but if I'm wrong that could mean the Irish jump up a spot in the next rankings. 

#6 OREGON (10-1) at WASHINGTON (8-3)

Location: Husky Stadium (Seattle, Wash.)
Date: Saturday – November 29
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Network: CBS
Line: Oregon -6.5, O/U: 51.5

Who To Root For: Washington

Oregon is another team that could drop behind Notre Dame with a loss. Unlike Georgia and Ole Miss, Oregon actually has a stronger resume than Notre Dame when you look at the various metrics, but their surface level resume is not all that strong even with the win over USC. A loss to an unranked Washington team on the road might not bump them from the playoff, but it has a good chance of at least bumping them behind Notre Dame.

LSU (7-4) at #8 OKLAHOMA (9-2)

Location: Memorial Stadium (Norman, Okla.)
Date: Saturday – November 29
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Network: ABC
Line: Oklahoma -10.5, O/U: 36.5

Who To Root For: LSU

Oklahoma's hold on the No. 8 spot is rather tenuous, with their strength of schedule being the primary reason for being a spot ahead of the Irish. Oklahoma falls out of the playoffs with a loss to LSU, unlikely as that is. I'm not holding my breath for this upset, but the one bit of good news is that LSU's defense is playing very stingy football. If it's offense can muster anything at all, or if the defense can give the offense some short fields, the Tigers have a chance, but it's not likely. 

#10 ALABAMA (9-2) at AUBURN (5-6)

Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Ala.)
Date: Saturday – November 29
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Network: ABC
Line: Alabama -6.5, O/U: 46.5

Who To Root For: Auburn

Alabama still has a path to jumping ahead of Notre Dame, but beating Auburn isn't that. What beating Auburn does, however, is put the Crimson Tide into the SEC title game. If Alabama wins that they will leap Notre Dame, and it's not a given that the team that they beat (Texas A&M or Georgia) will fall behind the Irish. An Auburn upset knocks the Tide out of the SEC title game, out of the playoffs and all but ensures Notre Dame's spot in the postseason if they beat Stanford.

While they aren't directly tied to Notre Dame's overall resume but are worth keeping an eye on. #25 Arizona hosting #20 Arizona State is a game that could result in Navy getting back into the Top 25 should the Sun Devils win the game. North Texas hosts Temple and Tulane hosts Charlotte, and the Midshipmen need one of them to lose in order to clinch a spot in the American title game.

There are other upsets that would help Notre Dame but they are unlikely. I'm thinking of #5 Texas Tech playing at West Virginia and #11 BYU playing at UCF.

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