Like beauty, hilarity is in the eyes of the beholder.
It was a horrible loss. As bad as any I can remember in my 60 yrs. of following Notre Dame football. However, in terms of its effect on the playoff, it’s hard to argue it has any relevance at all. Under the current format, even if the Irish were 12-0 and ranked #1, the best they can do is host a first round game. They can never get a bye. This year, they’ll host a 1st round game. So, despite that horrible loss, they’ve still ended up in the same place they would have if they had won the game.