One of the biggest surprises of the initial College Football Playoff rankings last Tuesday was the placement of Notre Dame. The Irish, despite a 7-1 record and a sterling history of laying waste to inferior opponents, came in at No. 11 in the rankings, right on the projected cut line.

The selection committee sent Notre Dame a message: win against No. 1 Miami on Saturday night, or you are likely out. Marcus Freeman and company answered the bell, getting a 31-24 win over the top-ranked team in the country in South Bend and sending a message that they are national title contenders in the process.

After the game, Freeman talked about using that initial ranking, which came as a shock to many, as motivation coming into this game.

“We learned that last year, it doesn't matter what you're ranked until the last week, and that's the truth,” Freeman said, via Adam Rittenberg of ESPN. “We don't need to focus on it. We don't need to talk about it. Our job was to leave no doubt today, and they [did not].”

A loss would have put Notre Dame in a very similar situation as it was in last season, when the Irish blew out 10 inferior teams but lost to both Miami and Texas A&M, a pair of playoff teams. The committee judged that since Notre Dame didn't have quality wins, it was less deserving of a spot than Alabama or Miami, and the Irish were the first team on the outside looking in. The Hurricanes made good on that decision with their run all the way to the national championship game.

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Now, Notre Dame doesn't have to worry about a similar scenario playing out this season. The Irish have three games remaining in the regular season, and if Freeman and company can take care of business in those games, they will be securely in the CFP.

Notre Dame will be back in action next Saturday against Boston College, and a marquee matchup with an explosive SMU team looms in Week 12 as the final big test of the regular season.