They want ND to have an "opportunity" to be in because if ND was shut out, they could have led the group of 5 and any other mid/lower tier Power 5 schools away from the CFP. If ND was shut out, why would Colorado, Oregon State, or Texas Tech think they would get a fair shake even if they won their conference championship with one loss? Freezing out ND would basically make the CFP a SEC/ACC/Big10 affair with Oklahoma, Texas, USC, and Oregon having very far outside shots.