AC

The glare of the Golden Dome can be blinding, even from SEC locales. So we'll get this out there from the top: I'm not blinded, just realistic. Notre Dame has the most compelling case to bump a one-loss SEC team that doesn't win the league title when the College Football Playoff selection committee unveils its final picks on Dec. 7. And the way the Irish played Saturday night in a down-to-the-wire (err, down-to-the-official's-call) 31-27 loss on the road to  Florida State, they should be a serious threat. Notre Dame still has some work to do to make this more than just lively conversation, but it's clear that Brian Kelly's club is for real. I know what's coming next from SEC junkies: The last time Notre Dame tangled with an SEC foe, it had all the drama of Mariano Rivera coming in to pitch the final inning of the Little League World Series. Alabama obliterated Notre Dame 42-14 two years ago in the BCS National Championship. That Notre Dame team, too, had navigated its...