In a decision that has sent shockwaves through many in the college football world, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were left out of the 2025 College Football Playoff field, finishing as the first team out at No. 11 in the final rankings despite being ranked #9 in the AP poll and having a 10 game win streak. With a resume that included a solid schedule and one of the most dominant late-season runs in history, many argue the selection committee’s choice to suddenly drop Notre Dame reeks of inconsistency and bias. As the shock was absorbed on Selection Sunday, the Irish have opted out of bowl consideration entirely, channeling their frustration into motivation for next year. Here are the questions that will be left unanswered:
1. Was the committee trying to make sure a ACC team made it into the tournament at any cost?
2. Did the committee create a cushion the week before to assure Alabama would be in the tournament regardless of how poorly they’re playing?
3. Why would the NCAA (and the committee) allow ND to be independent but then turn around and punish them for it?
Notre Dame’s Dominant Season
Notre Dame’s season was a masterclass in resilience and dominance. After early stumbles—a narrow loss to Miami in Week 1 and another close defeat vs Texas A&M the Irish rattled off 10 consecutive victories, each by at least 10 points, with an average margin of victory exceeding 30 points. With a Heisman Trophy candidate (Jeremiyah Love) and with dozens of National-Championship runner-up experienced players on the roster, the team seemed ready to make another run. Only three teams in the past five years have achieved a similar streak of 10 straight double digit wins. Notre Dame’s losses came against highly ranked opponents (both teams are in the playoffs) by a combined four points, both in the opening weeks when the squad was still finding its rhythm with freshman Quarterback CJ Carr . In contrast, the committee rewarded teams with stronger starts but weaker finishes, raising questions about what truly defines a “playoff-worthy” squad. The Committee has consistently stated selection favors teams playing well “right now”.
The Miami Case
Take Miami, the Hurricanes who snagged the final at-large berth at No. 10. Miami holds a head-to-head victory over Notre Dame from that early-season matchup, but their overall body of work pales in comparison. The Hurricanes also finished 10-2, but their 2 defeats were to unranked teams in the middle of the season and early November—far less forgivable than Notre Dame’s two losses coming from highly ranked opponents in week 1-2. CFP selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek cited the head-to-head as a tiebreaker after Miami jumped BYU in the final rankings, noting that the two teams were “almost equal” in schedule strength and common opponents. But Notre Dame had been ranked several spots ahead of Miami for the previous five weeks, only to be leapfrogged after both teams sat idle during conference championship weekend, leaving Notre Dame fans scratching their heads. This sudden reversal by the same committee who had Notre Dame ahead of Miami while both teams were idle looks bad. Why Notre Dame dropped below Alabama (who got blown out Saturday) to even be compared to Miami is puzzling.
Is There More to it?
Most College Football analysts are talking about the head to head with Miami and ND and not looking at the 3-loss Alabama team. But maybe the real reason Notre Dame may of been left out of the Playoff is actually Duke’s ACC Championship upset win. With Duke bing a 5-loss Conference Champion the committee had the tough decision of leaving a ACC team out of the playoffs all together. That was a pill that may of proved to be too tough for them to swallow. So putting Miami in the playoff also gets the ACC their representation.
In the end it’s hard to deny both Miami and Notre Dame were both clearly playing better football than Alabama for the last month or more. There was room in the playoffs for both.
The Alabama Case
So there’s 3-loss Alabama, which slid up into the No. 9 seed despite a brutal 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship, a game that exposed vulnerabilities in a team that had already dropped a two-touchdown decision to unranked Florida State earlier in the year. The -3 yards rushing for Alabama Saturday is embarrassing for a program with that history. The Crimson Tide were praised for their high strength of schedule, yet they weren’t penalized for the championship flop, while BYU was after a similar loss in their title game.
Historically teams that have lost conference title games have been dropped (on average) 1.5 ranking spots and 2.7 spots in losses of 14 points or greater. How the committee excused Alabama loss but not BYU’s also smells of bias. Yurachek defended Alabama’s spot, saying their schedule was “the highest in the top 11” and that they deserved to hold steady “in spite of their performance” in the finale. If results on the field are meant to matter, why the double standard? Notre Dame, an independent without a title game to play, was essentially dropped for not having the opportunity to lose big like Alabama. Despite maintaining top-10 status in every prior CFP ranking release the committee suddenly decided Notre Dame was overrated.
Coach’s Comments
Head coach Marcus Freeman didn’t mince words in the lead-up to the final rankings, passionately advocating for his team’s inclusion. Speaking on FOX ahead of the Big Ten Championship, Freeman emphasized current form over early mishaps: “As I evaluate our team, and what we’ve been able to do these past 10 weeks, I believe we’re as complete of a team and playing as well as anyone in the country.” He hammered home the playoff’s core question: “Who’s the best team now?” and argued that Notre Dame was “very deserving” of a spot, pointing to their unmatched winning streak and the quality of their losses.
Irish Refuse Bowl Bid
Notre Dame will not play in a bowl game after they were left out of the College Football Playoff.
The team said in a statement Sunday afternoon that it had decided to end its season.
“As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” the statement said. “We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”
Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua said that the team was shocked to be left out the playoff field and felt like a playoff bid had been stolen. “We feel like the playoff was stolen from our student-athletes.” He said.
Should ND Join a Conference?
There’s no easy solution for Notre Dame to prevent this from happening again. With a historic program that wants to be Independent this is the risk. One big argument for being independent is that the NCAA and the Playoff Committee both allow it. So one would assume they would not be penalized for it. As far as the “join a conference” debate goes:
- 7 of the 12 CFP teams did not win their conference.
- Of those 7 teams, 5 did not even play in their conference’s championship game.
Like the NLI issues, coaches leaving before the season is over, and players and teams “opting” out of bowl games, College Football can do better. Wouldn’t you agree?
“The Cowboy Regg” – Co-Host of the “Sons of the Star” Podcast. Co-editor at the “We Like Sportz Show”. Follow “Cowboy Regg” on X @ Irish_Cowboy88
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