Hasn’t Brian Kelly done enough?

We know he didn’t tell his players he was leaving hours after the news leaked, and when he told them it was via mass text. We know about the brief 7 a.m. meeting on Tuesday. We know he left South Bend for Baton Rouge so fast he hasn’t even had time to purchase a purple tie yet.

And now, after all that, the ghost of Brian Kelly lingers over the College Football Playoff selection process. In the penultimate set of rankings released Tuesday night, with five days to go until the final ranking is unveiled — the one that will determine the four-team field — Notre Dame checked in at No. 6. The Irish are just two spots away from making this thing in a season marked by chaos, and we spent the whole night arguing about whether it should matter that Kelly abandoned his team.

Yes, I know it’s listed in the committee’s protocols. Each committee member will be allowed to determine if he or she believes that the absence of a coach “likely will affect” a team’s performance moving forward. That’s what the rules say, and I get why it’s mentioned alongside player availability.

But this should absolutely not come into play this week. The selection committee should not penalize Notre Dame’s players for the actions of its head coach.