On Sunday, the College Football Playoff (CFP) Committee informed Notre Dame that it won’t need to participate in this year’s playoffs. Shortly after, Notre Dame made it clear that it would only play if it had the opportunity to compete for a national championship.
“We appreciate the support from our families and fans and are eager to bring home South Bend’s 12th national title in 2026,” Notre Dame stated.
Despite losing its first two games this season, Notre Dame rebounded with a 10-game winning streak, averaging a 31-point margin over opponents during that period.
Interestingly, Notre Dame ranked ahead of Miami for over a month and Alabama for weeks leading up to the final standings. Yet, after a commanding win against Auburn, the committee unexpectedly placed Miami ahead of them in the rankings.
Ultimately, the committee granted the last two at-large spots to Alabama and Miami.
According to On3’s Brett McMurphy, Notre Dame received an invitation to play BYU in the Poptarts Bowl, although BYU also did not make the playoffs despite an impressive 11-2 record.
Online, Notre Dame has faced significant backlash for its bowl boycott, with many fans criticizing the school as “naive.” The decision seems more about the dynamics of ESPN and the voting process than the bowl itself.
For weeks, the CFP Selection program aired on ESPN, advocating for Notre Dame’s ranking over that of Miami and even Alabama at times. This likely led players and officials to believe they had a worthwhile shot at the playoffs.
Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua expressed his frustration to Yahoo Sports: “There’s just no way to make sense of this outcome. As I mentioned earlier, everything leading up to this final ranking feels pointless. Why should young athletes, who haven’t played in two weeks, be set up for disappointment when a few people in a room determine the outcome without any rationale?”
“We feel like the playoffs were taken away from our student-athletes.”
Compounding the situation, many ESPN announcers during College GameDay and broadcasted championship games had strongly advocated for Miami to be favored over Notre Dame.
Notre Dame’s potential bowl game against BYU is set to be aired on ABC, which, being in the same network family as ESPN, suggests that the school’s choice may also be about not supporting the network financially by participating in the playoffs.
