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

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

Published on: Dec 7, 2025, 23:25:24 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

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.

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)

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 Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

Catch all the latest Sports News, scores, and highlights in one place. Stay updated with real-time coverage of your favorite games and athletes along with Lionel Messi latest updates.