and damn it, Notre Dame is out of the college playoffs......

[a kennedy]

🤬 🤬 🤬

[Traildogbob]

1. Of course, Bama has a guaranteed seat.

[FakeNoose]

2. My entire family roots for the Fightin' Irish of Notre Dame

There's always next year, am I right?

[a kennedy]

3. 💚 ☘️ 🍀

[genxlib]

4. Sorry but.....

Miami Hurricane alum here.



Honestly, ND should have been in above Alabama but that is the SEC bias.

Both should have been in above the G5 schools but the wacky way the ACC picked its championship participants really screwed that one up. It would have been so much more streamlined if the ACC broke tiebreakers by highest ranking then Miami would have been in the ACCCG and we would have had the JMU slot.

Sorry for you pain but it worked out for us.

[hlthe2b]

5. THose rankings with 12 in CFP are almost a "Sophie's Choice.." That said, ND elects not to be in a conference

and thus ineligible for any post regular season play or a conference game that would, with their current record, have all but assured them a CFP position. I like ND and really admire their new coach, but this decision to "go it alone" does occasionally hurt them (it did not last year, however, so this is not an all-encompassing bias as suggested). I do agree that Miami needed to come in ahead of ND. I would, in no way, want to be on that committee, though.

But, I do NOT want to see the conference championships done away with and I do fear that is the direction we are headed.

On edit, I just saw your comment that ND and Miami should have been AHEAD of the top 5 schools. That is f..king insane. (and that does not mean that ND, if it had qualified for the CFP would not have had a chance to win it all--just that TODAY and based on the entire season, they have not shown that they are ahead of IN, Ohio, UGA, Texas Tech, or Oregon). Had I seen that first, I would not have bothered to try to make a coherent and sincere response to your post.

[genxlib]

7. I think my statement was not communicated properly

I wasn't saying they should be above the top 5.

I was saying they should be in above the G5 which is short hand for the Group of 5. Those are the second tier conferences below the Power 4 of SEC, B10, B12 and ACC.

So to restate, both Alabama and ND belong in above Tulane and James Madison.

Sorry for any confusion

[hlthe2b]

10. Ahh, Thanks for clarifying. I get you now and agree.

[stopdiggin]

8. self inflicted injury. (as you point out)

Now, granted Dame may have its (valid?) reasons for its stand-offish go it alone stance ....
But in the eyes of many - you can't really have it both ways. Or, at the very least - if the call doesn't go your way - you're not allowed to weep and wail, and rend your garments - flood the field with tears.

And - if you do so .... You do so .... Guess what? - alone.

(because - remember - you are the very singular and peerless - Notre Dame .. )
(which the rest of the country has heard about, for years - and taken note. )

[genxlib]

11. I wouldn't feel too sorry for ND regarding the conference

They stay independent because they rake in boatloads of cash and don't have to share it with anyone. They are probably the only team with the juice to command their own TV deal.

They actually have been a strange psuedo-member of the ACC for awhile but have never put a ring on it. They have an agreement to schedule 5 ACC teams per year but stay independent in football. The ACC lets them play basketball and other sports. Interestingly, the agreement requires them to join the ACC if they do join a conference before 2036 so they are at least in a extended engagement without a wedding day set.

[AZProgressive]

6. I don't want conferences to look at the selection committee to decide their tiebreakers

Otherwise the big brands will always be selected to play in conference championships. I remember one year the Big 12 had Oklahoma, Texas, & Texas Tech all tied with each other and that conference looked to the BCS poll at the time to solve their tiebreakers which was very controversial. The problem is the conferences are so big teams often don't play each other. There were multiple 6-2 teams. Duke struggled in the non-conference portion of their schedule but they were one of the best ACC teams. The Blue Devils have a very good QB who was actually Tulane's QB last season (now Tulane has the BYU QB from last season). The teams in the tiebreaker only had 1 common opponent which was 3-9 Syracuse and they couldn't do head-to-head because they didn't play each other. Also there is no guarantee Miami would have won the conference championship game even if they were selected. If it was Miami vs Virginia then the ACC would have at worst the 11 seed and Tulane would get the 12 seed instead of James Madison.

As far as James Madison I think they probably deserved to get it. The selection committee already stacks the deck heavily against the mid-majors (compare where the G5 teams are ranked in the AP & Coaches poll) but ever since joining FBS James Madison has over an 800 winning percentage and before that they won 2 national championships at the FCS level. They probably deserve to get in more than Tulane but the American conference is a lot tougher than the Sun Belt. Normally I would root for Tulane but I don't like their QB so I'm rooting for James Madison though I wouldn't mind if Indiana won it all as they don't bother me like the 5 star brands. Also rooting for Texas Tech as the representative of the Big 12.

I think they should either keep things the same or expand the playoff while still giving conference champions a shot. The fact they meant to give at least 1 G5 team a shot keeps me interested in the sport after Arizona State is eliminated before the selection committee does their final ranking which is often. As far as the ACC that looked like a conference that no one really wanted to win.

[genxlib]

9. I don't really disagree with you

I don't want the selection for the championship game to be a popularity contest either. But there has to be a better way than the one that ended up with a completely unranked team playing before four other teams with better records.

There was also some goofiness with Virginia who lost to NC State but that didn't count as an in-conference loss.?

It just seems like someone figuring out how to sort though tie breakers could come out with something a little more relevant to the end result. You could do out-of-conference record, Overall record, overall FBS record, etc. Any of those would have put in a more qualified team without it being a beauty contest.

It is just a bad look to advance a team that was clearly the fourth or fifth best team in the conference.

I should have been more clear about Miami playing in the conference championship. I didn't mean to assume it would be an automatic win. I just meant that it would have simplified things because the winner of that game (say Virginia or Miami) would have gotten one of the auto-bids and would have bumped JMU out. The fact that Duke was so far out of the rankings opened the door for JMU. I think any other combination of ACC teams would have been advanced to the CFP

[Sibelius Fan]

12. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🤣🤣🤣🤣🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

Fuck ND

[a kennedy]

14. Oh my......

[Wuddles440]

13. So sad...

the national media will be mourning this 'travesty' for weeks, if not months. Unfair, biased, corrupt, and on and on they will bleat in shrill octaves and ad nauseam regarding this decision. However, this football fan is definitely not shedding any tears for them!

[Xavier Breath]

17. Same here.

[hlthe2b]

15. Notre Dame has just now pulled ITSELF from Bowl Game participation in response. Sad! I would have expected more...

To immediately make this decision in what appears to be a moment of pique--(thereby removing any chance for the players to get to participate one last time in a major game without at least letting the emotions quell a bit)-- just strikes me as really unprofessional on the part of coaches, coordinators, and the athletic director. Even if there was a player vote, I can't justify such a thing without taking a day or so to let things calm down and look at their prospects and pros/cons.

I get their disappointment. I likewise believe these weekly CFP rankings were incredibly misleading and undoubtedly sent a very false message to ND (and others). But, they aren't the only team disappointed. Vanderbilt, Texas--all had a case to make based on the same issues, if not as immediate.

I just feel sorry for the players--especially the seniors. I thought more of their Coach, Marcus Freeman. Sad...

[a kennedy]

16. Shoot........ya, feel bad for the Seniors.

It’s just been a bad day all around…….now if Green Bay wins, it’ll make my day a wee bit better. 💚 🍀 ☘️

[douglas9]

18. AD Pete Bevacqua explains why Notre Dame football withdrew from bowl game

"The team making the decision not to play in this year's bowl was a decision solely isolated to this year," Bevacqua said. "We can't speak for future years. We can't speak for what the captains on the team feel like."

Bevacqua noted that once Notre Dame was shut out of the CFP, head coach Marcus Freeman talked to the team's captains ― Drayk Bowen, Donovan Hinish, Will Pauling, Billy Schrauth, Adon Shuler, and Aamil Wagner ― about their interest in playing in a bowl game.

Given the modern-day nature of the bowl game setup ― most key players sit out to avoid injury ahead of a potential NFL career ― the captains elected not to play in a mostly meaningless contest.

"Marcus (Freeman) places a ton of emphasis on the roles of the captain of the team ... these aren't just the letter 'C' pasted onto a jersey and kind of a pat on the back," Bevacqua said. "They have a real role in our team and in the decisions the team makes. Week-in and week-out, he relies on those captains and really treats them as a key element of the decision-making process."


https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/sports/college/football/2025/12/09/pete-bevacqua-explains-why-notre-dame-football-withdrew-from-bowl-game-2025-cfp-miami/87686592007/

[hlthe2b]

19. Bullshit. Just like the victimization syndrome put forth by Trump/MAGA. HORRIBLE example

set by petulant Coaches and AD. Embarrassing. Childish and showing a real lack of leadership. Not to mention how it will hurt ND going forward--people remember. I have always had a soft spot for ND football after my own team favorites. That now moves to the newly emergent and classy Vanderbilt

See the alternate example set by Vanderbilt--likewise severely disappointed. Hell, UGA was left out in 2023 with a sixth-place ranking AFTER back-to-back National Championships, and they did not react like this. While Notre Dame's athletic director publicly criticized the committee and the team opted out of a bowl game, Vanderbilt's coach accepted the decision with class and confirmed his team would play in a bowl game.

Vanderbilt's Response
Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea delivered a "classy message" to his team and the media, emphasizing personal accountability.

Acceptance of Responsibility: Lea told his team they were not "victims" in the process and that they had control over their fate in earlier games they lost (to Alabama and Texas). He stated, "We had our opportunities and we didn't do enough. We are not victims in this process. Our ownership is in coming up short".
Bowl Game Participation: The team fully intended to participate in a bowl game, with Lea noting they "love playing football here" and were excited to cap off a special season in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Iowa.
Contrast to Entitlement: Lea explicitly mentioned he wanted his program to avoid the "level of entitlement that exists" in some programs, a statement widely seen as a subtle jab at Notre Dame's reaction.

Notre Dame's Response
In contrast, Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, publicly lashed out at the committee and the ACC, and the team made the decision to opt out of the postseason entirely.

Public Criticism: Bevacqua was very vocal, calling the situation a "farce and total waste of time" and criticizing the committee's transparency and ranking process.
Opting Out: The team collectively decided not to accept a bowl invitation (reportedly the Pop-Tarts Bowl), which generated significant controversy and criticism from other programs and fans.
Strained Relationships: The public fallout strained their relationship with the ACC, their primary conference affiliation, with the Big 12 commissioner even calling Bevacqua's behavior "egregious".

In essence, the two programs had "drastically different reactions" to the same disappointment, with Vanderbilt focusing on internal responsibility and Notre Dame taking an aggressive public stance and bypassing postseason play.