Notre Dame CFP row: What Bowl games will Marcus Freeman and co not play in
Notre Dame withdrew from bowl consideration after being ranked 11th behind Miami, whose head-to-head win hurt them. AD Pete Bevacqua blasted the CFP decision.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish announced on Tuesday that they are withdrawing from the bowl selection process amid the tussle over the College Football Playoffs (CFP) ranking.
The Fighting Irish were ranked No. 11th by the CFP committee, behind the Miami Hurricanes, who came in at 10th. The key element behind the decision was the Hurricanes' 27–24 victory over Notre Dame, even though the Indiana-based team had been consistently ranked above Miami in CFP rankings prior.
Their sudden inclusion at No. 10th sparked a sharp response from the Fighting Irish management. Their athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, called prior rankings “a joke” and said the CFP exclusion “shattered” their hopes.
Eventually, the school reacted by announcing that it is withdrawing from bowl consideration.
"As a team, we've decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season," a statement from the team read. "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."
What Games Will Notre Dame Play In?
While fans seem to agree with the decision to withdraw from playoff consideration over the allegedly "unfair" CFP rankings, missing out of postseason games left them a little disappointed.
Withdrawing from the CFP playoff consideration means that Notre Dame will not play in any postseason games this season. Their CFB season is officially over with the withdrawal.
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Why Miami Qualified Ahead Of Notre Dame
Miami edged out Notre Dame for a CFP spot because of their 27–24 head-to-head win, which became the decisive tiebreaker. Despite Notre Dame being ranked higher for most of the season, the committee gave Miami the advantage.
As an independent team without a conference title game, Notre Dame lacked another opportunity to strengthen its resume.
