As was expected, Notre Dame routed Rice on Saturday, beating the Owls 52-0 in a game that could have been much worse if many starters played longer.For Notre Dame, its the second step of a 12-step process done, as the "Leave No Doubt" tour turns to Michigan State this week.Notre Dame appears to be a very safe bet to head to the College Football Playoff, assuming it can win at least 11 of its 12 games this fall. What are its chances of possibly earning the top overall seed, however?How Texas Beating Ohio State May Have Helped Notre DameThe game of the day on Saturday was Texas coming back from a 23-3 halftime deficit to beat Ohio State, 24-23. That moved the Longhorns into the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll and bumped Ohio State from No. 1 to No. 6.While the win resulted in Texas jumping Notre Dame in the rankings, the good news for the Fighting Irish is what remains for both the Longhorns and Ohio State. Texas has to still go to Tennessee, take Oklahoma on in a neutral stadium, host Ole Miss, and travel to both LSU and Texas A&M. There are landmines all over that schedule and two losses is very much still in the picture despite Saturday's impressive victory.Ohio State has a daunting road ahead as well as trips to Iowa, Indiana, and USC all await, as well as hosting Michigan. A second loss isn't hard to potentially find there.I know it probably comes off as a hot take, but I still see too many land mines on the Texas schedule. I think it did enough in beating Ohio State to have one of the best wins of the year on a resume and still get a home CFP game, but I still think it finds a way to lose two games this year and not get a bye.Notre Dame's Path to the No. 1 SeedNotre Dame's path to potentially earning the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff might seem obvious, but isn't certainly the case.First off, Notre Dame has to go unbeaten. If its going to get the No. 1 seed it has to finish 12-0, and it would be of its best interest that Miami finishes the year 12-1 overall and wins the ACC, preferably in convincing fashion, to help boost Notre Dame's resume even more.Even if Notre Dame goes unbeaten, a one-loss champion of the Big Ten or SEC is going to be tough to unseat. Not impossible, but tough - that's why not only going unbeaten, but also getting the most out of the Miami (and really, BYU win as well) is a must.Nick Shepkowski's College Football Playoff Projection Following Week 21. Indiana2. Notre Dame3. Georgia4. Texas Tech5. Miami6. Texas 7. Ohio State8. LSU9. Alabama10. Texas A&M11. Penn State12. MemphisFirst Round Matchups:Byes:1. Indiana2. Notre Dame3. Georgia4. Texas Tech5. Miami vs. 12. Memphis6. Texas vs. 11. Penn State7. Ohio State vs. 10. Texas A&M8. LSU vs. 9. AlabamaSecond Round Matchups1. Indiana vs. 8. LSU2. Notre Dame vs. 7. Ohio State3. Georgia vs. 6. Texas 4. Texas Tech vs. 5. MiamiSemi-Final Matchups1. Indiana vs. 5. Miami2. Notre Dame vs. 3. GeorgiaNational Championship Game1. Indiana over 3. GeorgiaNick Shepkowski's Quick ThoughtsWhy don't I have Notre Dame winning it all?As of now I don't think the Fighting Irish run game is good enough to win it all. That's not saying it can't be, but as of right now I don't see it. I think it can win a home game against Miami in thrilling fashion, but until it shows consistency in the run game, I don't have it winning it all. The Georgia defense is on Notre Dame's level, as is Indiana's. Put Notre Dame on a neutral field against either of those two currently and I don't love how things would go.That said, we're a week past Labor Day, which means there is time for Notre Dame (all teams, for that matter) to grow and get the running game on point, since it's what's holding up the Irish right now.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow