Notre Dame received two major jabs from two major sports media outlets Wednesday as the College Football Playoff officially expanded to 12 teams for the 2024-25 season.
On ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith, Paul Finebaum and Chris Russo discuss the topic of granting automatic bids to the CFP to the top five conference champions, with the top four receiving first-round byes. I worked on it.
Mr Smith asked his co-organizer colleagues why the university remained relevant to the new ruling.
“They haven’t won a national title since 1988. So 36 years.” He said. “Thirty-six years ago, pup, I was graduating high school. I had an Afro. [My] My hairline was two feet in front of me. ”
Barstool founder and owner Dave Portnoy echoed Smith’s sentiments.
“Stephen A is really bad. ND is a relic of the past,” Portnoy said. Posted in X. “They were active in his 1800s with the Four Horse Horsemen and Knute Rockn. But I’m not interested in ancient history. To be considered a premier program, you have to get Natty before the era of horse-drawn carriages.” there is.”
This ruling puts the Fighting Irish in an interesting position, allowing them more access as an independent program.
However, if they join a conference or new rules are enacted, they will not be able to achieve any of the four first-round byes, which will have a major impact on their title odds.
Notre Dame reached one more national championship under Kelly since 1988, in 2013, a notable 42-14 win over Nick Saban and Alabama.
Smith said Notre Dame appears to be filtering the conversation within the sport about a talented, powerhouse team.
“What the hell did they do? We’re on national television,” he said.
Smith claimed the Fighting Irish spent more time on TV last season than Georgia, which missed the playoffs despite being two-time national champions.
He also made the case for LSU, which recently won a national title with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, although this was before Kelly took the head coaching job in Baton Rouge.
“Everywhere you look, we’re talking about Notre Dame. It was on national television,” Smith said. “Has anyone asked NBC why they gave this TV deal to NBC? What did they do? What did they do? I’m still waiting.”
This past season, Notre Dame had a 10-3 record, including a 40-8 victory over Oregon State in the Sun Bowl.
