As Notre Dame fans in 2015 and 2017 quickly grew to hate, the concept of the thirteenth data point permeates all discussions of Notre Dame and the College Football Playoff. With the loss to Miami, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are all but officially out of playoff contention. Nevertheless, the problem of a mere twelve-game schedule will linger on. There is, however, a tantalizing solution to the problem: play a thirteenth game. Of course, as I'll explain, there is one catch: the game must be at Hawaii. But, if done correctly, it could prove a perfect solution to what looks to be a perpetual problem.

In 2014, the thirteenth data point allowed Ohio State to overtake Big 12 "co-champion" Baylor for the fourth spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff. In the two seasons since, a team with only twelve games under its belt has earned a playoff bid. In 2015, Big 12 champion Oklahoma was the fourth seed at 11–1 ahead of Big Ten runner-up Iowa at 12–1. And in 2016, an 11–1 Ohio State was the three seed ahead of 12–1 Pac-12 champion Washington and 11–2 Big Ten champion Penn State, who gave the Buckeyes their only loss of the regular season.

Barring some major shakeup in week 13, the 2017 College Football Playoff teams will each have a conference title game appearance on the resume heading into final selections. Only Alabama appears positioned to perhaps miss the conference title game yet reach the playoff. And Miami could still run the table, win the ACC, and only have played twelve games due to Hurricane Irma forcing cancellation of the scheduled Arkansas State game.

But regardless of how things actually shake out, there can be no doubt that a team with thirteen games has an inevitable edge over a team with twelve. And, as powerhouse teams such as Alabama and Clemson continue to show, it does not entirely matter what the bottom portion of a thirteen-game schedule is. In 2014, three of the playoff teams played an FCS opponent: Alabama played Western Carolina, Oregon played South Dakota, and Florida State defeated The Citadel. In 2015, that number dropped to two, with Alabama crushing Charleston Southern and Clemson easing by Wofford. And 2016 saw the number back to three with Alabama-Chattanooga, Clemson-South Carolina State, and Washington-Portland State.

Of the top nine teams in the college football playoff standings heading into week 13, five have an FCS victory on the resume: (#1) Alabama-Mercer, (#2) Miami-Bethune Cookman, (#3) Clemson-The Citadel, (#6) Auburn-Mercer, and (#7) Georgia-Samford. These glorified scrimmages are not only easy additional wins for teams, but actually a vitally important opportunity to get reserves some playing time. Notre Dame, on the other hand, is in an exclusive club, alongside only USC and UCLA, to have never played an FCS team since the split between Division 1A and 1AA. The Big Ten also deserves some commendation for somewhat prohibiting future scheduling of FCS opponents, although it allows schools to schedule an FCS opponent if the team only plays four home conference games. It is possible that Ohio State not scheduling a single FCS opponent in 2014 is what gave the Buckeyes the edge over Baylor and TCU, which each had one on its schedule. But if that were the case, then Ohio State likely would not have trailed the Bears and Horned Frogs heading into championship Saturday.

To date, the teams reaching the playoffs have shown that what matters is overall strength of schedule, quality victories, and conference titles. Despite Notre Dame’s strong ties to the ACC, the Irish still remain an independent. As such, there is no conference title and no resulting title game to give the Irish the edge. The best the team can hope for is victories over teams that go on to win their respective conferences. To date, only Ohio State, in 2016, has been able to reach the title game without a conference title in hand. Possibilities abound this year that could see a similar result, but, so long as Alabama wins the Iron Bowl, each team will at least have a title-game appearance.

The lack of a thirteenth data point used to be a problem for the Big 12 as well. The Big 12 was and is the only Power 5 conference to play a complete round-robin schedule and used to crown "one true champion," until 2014 happened and TCU got to be called "co-champion," despite a head-to-head loss to Baylor. But the Big 12 leveraged an NCAA rule change and now has a conference title game that creates an inevitable rematch, in a league of only ten teams.

Notre Dame has the opportunity to add a thirteenth game and maintain its independence. What’s more, it has the chance to guarantee a thirteenth game every year. Under NCAA Division 1 Football Rule 17.10.5.1, the maximum number of games that a school may play in the regular season is twelve. Rule 17.10.5.2.1(b) provides an exemption allowing a thirteenth game for conference championships. But that is not the only pre-bowl exception. Subdivision (g) states, "In bowl subdivision football, the maximum number of football contests shall exclude the following: . . . Any football games played in Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico, respectively, either against or under the sponsorship of an active member institution located in Hawaii, Alaska or Puerto Rico, by a Division I member institution located outside the areas in question[.]" Since there are no Division 1 football teams in Alaska or Puerto Rico, that leaves one opponent: Hawaii’s Rainbow Warriors.

Notre Dame has twice benefitted from the additional game playing on the island allows. In 1991, Lou Holtz led his 19th-ranked team to a 48–42 victory on November 30. And again in 1997 with Bob Davie eking out a 23–22 win on November 29. In each instance, it was adding a twelfth game, which was not a regular part of the Notre Dame schedule until 2006. Notably, each of those games was the last game of the season. (It was before Notre Dame cemented the alternating series with Stanford.) The third meeting between the Warriors and the Irish was in December 2008, when Charlie Weiss snapped the bowl-losing streak, winning the Hawaii Bowl 49–21. That remains the highest attendance for any Hawaii Bowl, at 43,487.

But what I think would be the wisest course of action for Notre Dame only just became available this season. With Hawaii a member of the Mountain West Conference, which hosts a conference title game, the Rainbow Warriors are not in a position to schedule a game against Notre Dame in week 13 because it could conflict with an unlikely, but possible, conference title game appearance. Scheduling a game at Hawaii earlier in the season means forgoing a bye week or dropping one of the other twelve opponents. But the solution to the problem was enacted this season. New Rule 17.10.3.1 permits any team scheduled to play a regular-season game in Hawaii to schedule a game the weekend before every other team is permitted to play.

The so-called "week zero," saw five FBS games: Hawaii claimed a win over UMass in Hadley, Massachusetts; BYU beat Portland State; San Jose State hosted and lost to South Florida; Colorado State hammered Oregon State; and Stanford defeated Rice in Sydney, highlighting the weekend. (Hats off to Hawaii for interpreting the rule to allow it to play a road game in week zero despite only scheduling twelve games.) Which of those games sounds like a major draw for eyeballs? If Notre Dame schedules a game at Hawaii, the Irish can host any team it likes in week zero. But that is not the optimal outcome.

In 2010, facing a bowl ban, Southern Cal managed to put together a last-minute game at Hawaii to tack on a thirteenth game to start the season. It gave the Trojans the taste of a bowl experience by travelling to Honolulu and an additional game. Numerous reports indicated that the SC players loved the opportunity to start the season in paradise. The Irish could duplicate that experience every single year.

In 2017, Hawaii had the option of scheduling 13 games but settled for 12. In 2018 and 2019, the Warriors are slotted for five non-conference games each. But the schedule opens up in 2020. In theory, the Irish could perhaps arrange a buyout of Hawaii’s two FCS opponents, one each in 2018 and 2019, to open a spot. But the 2019 week zero spot is already locked up with Arizona. So Notre Dame could, perhaps, leverage Hawaii to drop Duquesne in 2018 and play the Irish on August 25, which would give Notre Dame a warmup ahead of playing Michigan the following weekend. But 2019 would be out of the question without last-minute, doubtlessly expensive, changes to the Notre Dame schedule.

Still, 2020 onward, the Irish could begin a tradition like few others. Every season, Notre Dame could travel to Hawaii and be a spotlight game to start the season. One can scarcely imagine a better draw for Hawaii. Since 2014, Hawaii has struggled to break thirty thousand attendees at most home games. Each time the Irish have come to town, the number has exceeded forty thousand. And everyone knows the Irish fanbase travels.

ESPN, the most likely broadcast partner, could also expect a massive ratings boost. According to SportsMediaWatch.com, the three week-zero games broadcast on ESPN turned in viewers of 653k for Stanford-Rice, 725k for Chattanooga-Jacksonville State, and 939k for BYU-Portland State. Notice something about those ratings? The highest rated game is BYU, an independent school with a strong fanbase. By comparison, Notre Dame’s opening game against Temple drew 1.58 million. The lowest rating came in week five against Miami (Ohio) and was still 798k, which went head-to-head against Mississippi State-Auburn drawing 2.838 million viewers and against a major upset for Troy at LSU, drawing 856k. Put simply, we all know Notre Dame sells. If ESPN places Notre Dame vs Hawaii every year as the season kickoff, the game will draw over a million eyeballs. And imagine what it would be like to start the season with ESPN forced to jump on the Notre-Dame-hype train for a change

Also, let us not ignore the potential impact on recruiting. Imagine the selling point to recruits: "Welcome to Notre Dame. It’s a forty-year plan. Oh, and you get to be the spotlight game to start the college football season from Hawaii every year." Let’s make this happen! Each year Notre Dame could start in Hawaii and end in California. South Bend may be frigid in the winter, but thoughts of next year’s trips to the Pacific Ocean are a good way to keep warm trudging through lake-effect snow.

Doubtlessly, there are the naysayers out there who know so little about college football that the thought of scheduling a Mountain West team is instantly followed by an exclamation of "Oh my word!" and the shattering of a monocle. The same people could not fathom how Notre Dame shamed itself by scheduling Tulsa in 2010. You know, the team that won at least ten games three times in a four-year span from 2007 through 2010, and, oh yeah, beat the Irish in South Bend in 2010. Face it, Hawaii has a proud football tradition and plays tough on the island. Of course it’s not the same team that went 12–0 in 2007 before getting smashed in the Sugar Bowl. But it doesn’t have to be a world-beater to merit inclusion on the resume. And if getting smashed in BCS games disqualifies you from appearing on Notre Dame’s schedule, the Irish are going to have to forfeit from here on out. (See 2001 Fiesta Bowl (41–9); 2006 Fiesta Bowl (34–20); 2007 Sugar Bowl (41–14); and 2013 BCS National Championship Game (42–14)). It’s not about adding another great opponent. It’s about adding a thirteenth opponent. Hawaii alone does that and can be a fun game every single year. I think it’s great for both programs and call upon you to lobby the Athletic Department with all the power you might have to get this done.

Go Irish! Beat Warriors!