Posted on 12/07/2025 8:17:56 PM PST by Red Badger
Notre Dame Withdraws from Bowl Game Consideration After CFP Committee Snub 5 PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 29: Head Coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lDavid Madison/Getty Images Dylan Gwinn7 Dec 2025296 2:55 On Sunday, the College Football Playoff (CFP) Committee told Notre Dame that its presence in this year’s playoff was not needed. A couple of hours later, Notre Dame informed college football that if they weren’t competing for a national championship, they weren’t interested in playing at all.
“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,” Notre Dame said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Notre Dame football was always a big deal in SoCal because of the intense rivalry between ND and USC. You always wanted so see that matchup.
SC has fallen from its previous greatness, and busting up the Pac 8, 10, hasn’t helped keep interest alive.
Yes two intensely supported teams
I’m ole miss 1981
My large family is LSU and Tide
I do root quietly for the team that used to play Dixie
Used to is why I quit donating and colonel reb was an older black fan late 1800s who became team mascot
Dixie was written by a black man
Both facts inconvenient fir the narrative
I like devout Catholics btw and we owe them as western civ against the muzz hegemony
James Madison and Tulane over Duke. Current rules are they take the top 5 conference winners.
“...but it seems to ND would have had a decent bowl game...”
Depends on who they play. They were not strong this year as their schedule and record indicates. But that’s not reality.
Bowl games are decided by a mix of contractual conference tie-ins, the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee for the top teams, and individual bowl committees filling remaining spots based on rankings, geography, and appeal, creating a tiered system where top teams go to CFP bowls and others fill traditional conference-linked games.
College Football Playoff (CFP) bowl game committees, and traditional bowl committees, are made up of diverse groups of current and former college athletic directors, coaches, players, administrators, and media members.
They four main categories each have a function:
Athletic Directors: Provide administrative and strategic perspectives.
Coaches: Offer on-field coaching insight.
Players: Bring a player’s experience.
Media Members: Add journalistic objectivity and coverage knowledge
But if the teams are there for the show, then the appearance of entertainment takes precedence over actual talent and the greasing of palms becomes the reality.
wy69
ESPN has an article about the Notre Dame AD accusing the ACC of sabotaging their playoff bid. Although ND’s other sport programs are part of the ACC, football isn’t. Miami is a full member, so they will share at least $4M with the rest of the conference for the playoff selection.
The ACC commissioner politely told ND they didn’t interfere.
“The ACC commissioner politely told ND they didn’t interfere.”
For Years I’ve smiled at the graft that is sports and out right laughed openly displayed dishonesty that sports has used for money and self admiration. Sports administration has so mirrored politics that they could be twins. Seems nothing appears that couldn’t possibly be planned and in most cases is.
wy69
“Why did Notre Dame end the year higher ranked than Miami and Alabama, in both polls?
They didn’t. They came in at #11 with Miami and Alabama just above them.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/rankings
Additionally, ESPN ranked Notre Dame in scheduling at number 13 in Strength of Record Rank, behind Alabama at number 10 with Miami right behind them.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/fpi/_/view/resume
But remember that ND was not offered a bowl position because they elected not to participate, not that they were over looked. They chose this because they thought they should be considered within the top 4 that stats display they didn’t earn and threw a tantrum. If they had not been offered a bowl I would have been in disagreement. And I think they may well have been given the opportunity to compete. But with their win loss and team competition record, it would not have been a major bowl.
wy69
“… when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the
breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go in there with all they’ve got and win just one for the Gipper”,
“...why did the AP sportswriters and FBS coaches place Notre Dame above Miami and Alabama?”
And I’ll answer it the same way. The people who made the selections looked at it in the ESPN poll and not through the AP or coaches poll. I wasn’t in the room when they made the discussion or the determination so I can’t tell you their reasoning. But these selections, like all post season selections are always a mystery so you and I can conjecture till the cows come home. Mine is that they didn’t have as strong a schedule and so they were not and getting hammered by Michigan in October didn’t help. Add that to being beat by Miami early in the year, and that leaves questions.
As for polls, and they are what we are stuck with, they in reality don’t mean much.
During my college career I was attached to the College of Sequoias football team, Junior College, and at the end of the year, we were rated number 2 in the nation and state behind Fullerton JC by the AP. We played them and just beat the hell out of them in Bakersfield. And when the polls came out on Monday, they were still #1 and #1. So much for polls.
wy69
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