STANFORD, Calif. -- For Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, there was no need for a passionate postgame pitch for why he believes the Irish belong in the College Football Playoff.

To him, Notre Dame's inclusion is straightforward.

"Who are the best teams now?" Freeman said following Notre Dame's 49-20 win against Stanford . "Not Week 1 -- now. It's hard to argue we aren't one of those teams."

Notre Dame was ranked No. 9 in this week's playoff rankings, which coupled with the lopsided win against the Cardinal has the Irish (10-2) in a solid position with its regular season complete.

"You're talking about a team that is playing as well as anyone right now," Freeman said. "Won 10 straight games, all of them by double-digit points."

Assuming there is no shuffling in the eight to 12 range

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