Notre Dame Left Out of College Football Playoff

This past Sunday, the announcement of the College Football Playoff spots stirred up some controversy. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish found themselves on the outside looking in, even though they only lost twice during the season, to the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies.

Both Miami and Texas A&M ended the season with similar standings, finishing in 12th place. Interestingly, Miami leapfrogged Notre Dame in the final rankings, which was quite a surprise since the Fighting Irish had been contenders in the earlier rankings. It’s worth noting that neither team was slated to participate in the conference championship games once the official bracket was revealed.

The debate over Notre Dame’s exclusion had been brewing for weeks. Who really deserves a playoff spot? Miami certainly had the upper hand in their head-to-head encounters.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Theisman expressed his disbelief at the decision. He remarked on how it felt unjust for a three-loss Alabama team to make the playoffs while his own alma mater was left out. He questioned, “How could they be so wrong?” and went on to point out the inconsistency in considering Alabama’s earlier loss to Florida State without applying the same logic to other teams.

Theismann’s sympathy extended to head coach Marcus Freeman and the players, noting that the Fighting Irish’s losses were close—just a combined four points. In comparison, Alabama had two losses, one of which was also quite close, against Oklahoma.

Miami Enters Playoff, Alabama’s Role Scrutinized

As for Alabama, they managed to reach the SEC Championship but fell to Georgia by a significant margin. Theisman commented, “It makes no sense for Alabama to be in this situation.”

The College Football Playoff Committee Chairman, Hunter Yurachek, who also serves as the athletic director at the University of Arkansas, defended Alabama’s placement, citing their overall performance as deserving of the ninth spot. He explained that Alabama’s record was perceived as a testament to their capability.

The committee’s decision to move Miami ahead of Notre Dame seemed influenced by BYU’s loss in the Big 12 Championship, which changed the dynamics. Yurachek pointed out that, despite both teams being comparable on paper, the committee’s only clear distinguishing factor was the head-to-head matchup.

Tulane and James Madison joined the playoff picture as conference champions, while ACC champion Duke found themselves excluded.

After being eliminated from playoff contention, Notre Dame opted out of participating in a bowl game. Theisman supported this choice, saying he respected the team’s decision wholeheartedly.