On Dec. 1, Alabama, Clemson and Oklahoma played in conference championship games. Notre Dame, on the other hand, got to take that Saturday easy.

Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick told ESPN’s Heather Dinich that the Fighting Irish are happy to play the same amount of games as teams who make it to a Power 5 conference championship game.

“We would love the opportunity to play a 13th game to take that issue off the table,” he said. “Nothing would make us happier.”

While it’s an interesting idea, a 13th game is still not the same as a conference championship game. Conference championship games feature division winners of a Power 5 conference. Notre Dame would be unable to schedule the 13th game against a Power 5 division winner.

Few could complain about Notre Dame’s regular-season schedule in 2018. The Fighting Irish played 10 teams from Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12). During Clemson’s Cotton Bowl blowout, though, many college football fans opined on social media that ND did not look like it belonged in the final four.

A 13th regular-season game might satisfy some critics, but it’s not the same as having to beat a team like Georgia or Texas in Week 14 to secure a spot in the final four. Though playing 13 games is not always necessary to make the College Football Playoff. Alabama and Ohio State have each made the final four without playing in their conference championship games.