cfp committee pulls rug out from under notre dame

The biggest surprise of the College Football Playoff was Notre Dame being left out, but no matter how much it may hurt to say, the Fighting Irish have no one else to blame but themselves, after losing the first two games of the season by a total of 4 points.

And it's not because the Irish lost their first two games of the season, but rather because of who they chose to play.

Give Notre Dame credit, they played one tough schedule. At Miami (FL), vs. Texas A&M, vs. Boise State and vs. USC. Miami and Texas A&M made the CFP, USC is a top 25 team, and Boise State won nine games and its third straight Mountain West Championship after taking it to UNLV on Friday.

But none of that matters. The main reason ND missed out on the CFP is that the Irish lost twice. It doesn't matter that both teams the Irish lost to made the CFP and that Texas A&M was undefeated going into its final regular-season game. Whether it should or shouldn't matter is a topic for a different day, but one thing is crystal clear: the committee doesn't care who you beat; it only cares how many games you lose.

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua says that head coach Marcus Freeman and Irish players were devastated by the committee’s decision to eliminate them from the playoffs after consistently having them ahead of multiple playoff teams in previous rankings. One of the dominoes to fall from the committee’s decision is the Fighting Irish deciding not to participate in a bowl game this season.

"As a team, we've decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season," read a statement posted on social media that was credited to the 2025 Notre Dame football team. "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."

The Irish figure to be one of the best teams in the country with quarterback CJ Carr returning to lead a talented roster.