Notre Dame opts out of bowl game after getting 'punched in the stomach' by CFP
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, left, greets players as they return to the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
Snubbed by the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame snubbed its nose at a second-tier bowl game.
The ninth-ranked Fighting Irish responded to getting dropped in the CFP rankings for the second consecutive week by turning down an invitation to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
“Overwhelming shock and sadness," Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua told Yahoo Sports. “Like a collective feeling that we were all just punched in the stomach.”
Although boycotting a bowl might be the exact reaction that many Notre Dame fans wanted, it can't help the long-term viability of non-playoff bowl games.
The decision also denies Notre Dame's seniors a chance for one final game, denies underclassmen from a few extra weeks of practice and denies a legion of fans — is there a bigger brand in college football? — from watching their team play again.
Unlike Iowa State and Kansas State, which each got fined $500,000 by the Big 12 for opting out of bowls because of coaching changes, Notre Dame won't get punished because it's not a full-fledged member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Despite winning every game for nearly three months, Notre Dame fell behind Miami in the final CFP rankings and was left out of the 12-team bracket entirely.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, right, celebrates with kicker Erik Schmidt (18) on the sideline after a point after field goal during the first quarter of an NCAA football game against Navy, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in South Bend, Ind. Credit: AP/Paul Beaty
The Fighting Irish won their last 10 games by an average of nearly 30 points but watched championship weekend from afar, idle as an independent with no options to impress the selection committee one last time in a league title game.
Bevacqua and coach Marcus Freeman took the high road in recent weeks, avoiding too much lobbying and believing their winning streak would be enough to earn a berth over Alabama.
They were mistaken. Miami (10-2) ended up knocking the Irish (10-2) out.
“There is no explanation that could possibly be given to explain the outcome,” Bevacqua told Yahoo. “As I said to Marcus, one thing is for sure: Any rankings or show prior to this last one is an absolute joke and a waste of time. Why put these young student-athletes through these false emotions just to pull the rug out from underneath them having not played a game in two weeks and then a group of people in a room shatter their dreams without explanation?
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman reacts on the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Stanford, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Stanford, Calif. Credit: AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez
“We feel like the playoff was stolen from our student-athletes.”
With BYU losing to Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game, the committee ranked Miami and Notre Dame next to each other and turned to the head-to-head metric to determine which one would get the No. 10 seed.
It was Miami, which beat Notre Dame 27-24 in Week 1 of the regular season.
Hunter Yurachek, the chair of the selection committee, said members rewatched the game and were struck by Miami’s shutting down of a Notre Dame running game in a way nobody else did this season.
“it just felt like there was a little bit more athleticism on the side of Miami versus Notre Dame,” Yurachek said.
The Hurricanes will play at Texas A&M in the opening round of the playoff.
No. 12 BYU, No. 13 Vanderbilt and No. 14 Texas — and, to a lesser extent, Atlantic Coast Conference champion Duke — are sure to have issues with the final CFP standings, too.
“We are not entitled to anything and we’re not victimized by any process or any committee," Vandy coach Clark Lea said.
Added Duke coach Manny Diaz: "What we found out today is no different than what other schools found out, than what Notre Dame found out or Texas or Vanderbilt or other schools. If you put it in the committee’s hands, it’s outside of your control.”
Notre Dame has the biggest gripe. The committee dropped the Irish one spot after beating Stanford 49-20 and another after not playing.
The real culprit was Notre Dame's 0-2 start, losing to playoff teams Miami and Texas A&M by a combined four points.
Alabama, meanwhile, became the first three-loss team to make the CFP field. Yurachek explained the logic after the Crimson Tide lost 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC championship game.
“Their strength of schedule was the highest in the top 11, and (it) felt like in spite of their performance yesterday in the conference championship, they deserve to stay within that nine spot,” Yurachek said.
