Why Notre Dame missed CFP bracket. Explaining controversial playoff call, loss record vs Miami

Published on: Dec 07, 2025 11:25 PM IST

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Head coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish speaks to an official during the first half against the Syracuse Orange (Getty Images via AFP)

Notre Dame fans are disappointed. Alabama and Miami got in, Indiana is No 1 in the College Football Playoff’s 12-team bracket released Sunday

Notre Dame fans are disappointed. Alabama and Miami got in, Indiana is No 1 in the College Football Playoff’s 12-team bracket released Sunday. The undefeated Hoosiers vaulted to the top spot based on their history-making win in the Big Ten title game against Ohio State, which fell one spot after its 13-10 loss. SEC champion Georgia was third and Big 12 champ Texas Tech fourth. All four get first-round byes.

However, all the drama is around Alabama and Miami leapfrogging Notre Dame. American Conference champion Tulane got the 11th spot and Sun Belt champion James Madison got the last spot over Duke, the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The rest of the field: No. 5 Oregon, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 8 Oklahoma.

The playoffs start December 19-20 with first round games: James Madison at Oregon; Tulane at Misssissippi; Miami at Texas A&M; and Alabama at Oklahoma.

The final is set for January 19 outside of Miami.

Why Notre Dame did not make it to CFP bracket

Despite spending the past month consistently ranked ahead of Miami, Notre Dame slipped behind the Hurricanes when the final CFP bracket was unveiled. Miami’s Week 1 head-to-head victory, long considered a secondary factor, became the decisive separator once both teams finished 10-2.

Miami landed the No. 10 seed, Alabama slotted in at No. 9, and Notre Dame was left outside the field entirely.

Notre Dame’s resume looked solid at first glance: a 10-game winning streak after an 0-2 start, victories over Boise State (the Mountain West champion), USC and Pitt, and a dominant close to the season. But a deeper read revealed the issue, none of those wins came against top-15 opponents, and much of the schedule was padded with teams that finished at the bottom of their Power Four leagues.

Their fate may have been foreshadowed a week earlier when the Irish slid to No. 10 despite back-to-back blowout wins. The committee insisted at the time that Notre Dame wasn't being directly measured against Miami, but the final reveal suggested otherwise.

CFB bracket 2025-26

Indiana (13-0)

Ohio State (12-1)

Georgia (12-1)

Texas Tech (12-1)

Oregon (11-1)

Ole Miss (11-1)

Texas A&M (11-1)

Oklahoma (10-2)

Alabama (10-3)

Miami (10-2)

Tulane (11-2)

James Madison (12-1)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a part of the US team at Hindustan Times. With over four years of experience covering the US, he has developed passion for American football, NBA and other non-cricket sports. In free time, you will find Yash toying with AI tools, watching movies and discussing conspiracy theories. Read More

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