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.
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