12/07/25 07:52:00
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12/07 19:50 CST Notre Dame, left out of playoff while Alabama and Miami get in,
opts out of bowl consideration
Notre Dame, left out of playoff while Alabama and Miami get in, opts out of
bowl consideration
By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
Snubbed by the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame snubbed its nose at a
second-tier bowl game.
The ninth-ranked Fighting Irish responded to getting dropped in the CFP
rankings for the second consecutive week by turning down an invitation to play
in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
"As a team, we've decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl
game following the 2025 season," Notre Dame wrote in a statement posted to its
official X account. "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."
Although it might be the exact reaction that many Notre Dame fans wanted, it's
far from ideal for the long-term viability of non-playoff bowl games.
The decision also denies Notre Dame's seniors a chance for one final game,
denies underclassmen from a few extra weeks of practice and denies a legion of
fans --- is there a bigger brand in college football? --- from watching this
team play again.
Unlike Iowa State and Kansas State, which each got fined $500,000 by the Big 12
for opting out of bowls because of coaching changes, Notre Dame won't get
punished because it's not a full-fledged member of the Atlantic Coast
Conference.
Despite winning every game for nearly three months, Notre Dame fell behind
Miami in the final CFP rankings and was left out of the 12-team bracket
entirely.
The Fighting Irish, who won their last 10 games by an average of nearly 30
points, watched championship weekend from afar, idle as an independent with no
options to impress the selection committee one last time in a league title game.
Athletic director Pete Bevacqua and coach Marcus Freeman took the high road in
recent weeks, avoiding too much lobbying and believing their winning streak
would be enough to earn a berth over Alabama.
They were mistaken. Miami (10-2) ended up knocking the Irish (10-2) out.
With BYU losing to Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game, the committee ranked
Miami and Notre Dame next to each other and turned to the head-to-head metric
to determine which one would get the No. 10 seed.
It was Miami, which beat Notre Dame 27-24 in Week 1 of the regular season.
Hunter Yurachek, the chair of the selection committee, said members rewatched
the game and were struck by Miami's shutting down of a Notre Dame running game
in a way nobody else did this season.
"Then there was observation from the coaches in the room where Notre Dame did a
lot of chasing of some of the athletic receivers, especially on the Miami
side," Yurachek said. "And it just felt like there was a little bit more
athleticism on the side of Miami versus Notre Dame."
The Hurricanes will play at Texas A&M in the opening round of the playoff.
No. 12 BYU, No. 13 Vanderbilt and No. 14 Texas --- and, to a lesser extent,
Atlantic Coast Conference champion Duke --- are sure to have issues with the
final CFP standings, too.
"We are not entitled to anything and we're not victimized by any process or any
committee," Vandy coach Clark Lea said.
Added Duke coach Manny Diaz: "What we found out today is no different than what
other schools found out, than what Notre Dame found out or Texas or Vanderbilt
or other schools. If you put it in the committee's hands, it's outside of your
control."
Notre Dame seems to have the biggest gripe. The committee dropped the Irish one
spot after beating Stanford 49-20 and then fell another while not playing.
The real culprit was Notre Dame's 0-2 start, losing to playoff teams Miami and
Texas A&M by a combined four points.
Alabama, meanwhile, became the first three-loss team to make the CFP field.
Yurachek explained the logic after the Crimson Tide lost 28-7 to Georgia in the
SEC championship game.
"Their strength of schedule was the highest in the top 11, and (it) felt like
in spite of their performance yesterday in the conference championship, they
deserve to stay within that nine spot," Yurachek said.
___
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