Next season, if Notre Dame finds itself in a similar position, they won’t have to stress about being left out of the College Football Playoff (CFP). Starting with the upcoming season, if the Irish are ranked in the top 12 by the committee, they will be guaranteed a spot in the playoff, based on an agreement made with athletic director Pete Bevacqua.
This week, Miami secured the last at-large playoff spot by finishing ranked No. 10, just above Notre Dame. If next season plays out similarly, Miami would square off against Notre Dame.
Moreover, the memorandum indicates that should the playoff expand to 14 teams, Notre Dame would also secure a playoff spot if ranked 13th or above.
Last weekend, the college football community reacted with shock as Notre Dame was disqualified from this year’s playoffs. Meanwhile, Alabama suffered a major defeat against Georgia in the SEC Championship, yet remains in ninth place despite inconsistent performances lately.
Unlike BYU, which dropped to 12th after losing to Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game, Alabama wasn’t penalized for going into overtime. According to CFP Chairman Hunter Yurachek, Miami and Notre Dame are poised to meet in the opening week, with Miami having previously edged out Notre Dame 27-24.
2025 College Football Playoff Opening Day:
Round 1
- Dec. 19, 8 p.m. ET, No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 8 Oklahoma
- Dec. 20, 12:00 p.m. ET, No. 10 Miami vs. No. 7 Texas A&M
- Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET, No. 11 Tulane vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
- No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Quarterfinals
- No. 10 Miami/No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Ohio State, Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET
- No. 12 James Madison/No. 5 Oregon State vs. No. 4 Texas Tech, Jan. 1, 12:00 p.m. ET
- No. 9 Alabama/No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Indiana, Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. ET
- No. 11 Tulane/No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia, Jan. 1, 8 p.m. ET
I mean, it’s kind of puzzling that Notre Dame consistently ranked higher than Miami yet faced this predicament. Bevacqua expressed his frustration via Yahoo Sports, stating, “There’s no way to justify this outcome. As our head coach Marcus Freeman has mentioned, previous rankings seem pointless now. Why put these young athletes through such emotional highs, only to have them dashed after a two-week absence? It feels like our students’ playoff dreams were taken from them without a valid reason.”
After the playoff disappointment, Notre Dame declared that it would decline any bowl game invitations.
