Despite a 10-2 regular-season record, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were the first team left out of the College Football Playoff. The Irish and their fanbase, undoubtedly, have a bone to pick with this committee, but at the end of their day they stuck to their criteria.
Miami had the head-to-head edge over the Irish, and a second Group-of-5 champion making the field all but eliminated the Irish's chances. However, had one missed call from September gone Marcus Freeman's way, we'd be having a completely different discussion.
How the refs screwed over Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes
One of Notre Dame's two losses on the season was to Texas A&M, which made the Playoff in part thanks to their strength of resume and victory over the Irish. That game was incredibly close, as the Aggies won by the final score of 41-40, including a conversion on fourth and goal when time wasn't on Notre Dame's side. From the naked eye, the officials missed a hold that would've backed the Aggies up and made said conversion even tougher.
Not called on the game winning TD pass play on 4th down pic.twitter.com/9Fd3tgIHq9 https://t.co/Yt6dmv19lQ
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) September 14, 2025
As you can see, the Aggies offensive lineman essentially tackles the Notre Dame defender when he had a clear path to quarterback Marcel Reed. None of it mattered, as Texas A&M won the game. If we fast forward a few months, Notre Dame was left out of the Playoff in part because they lost two games against CFP opponents in Texas A&M and Miami.
Had the Irish won that game, they'd be 11-1 and a shoe-in for the Playoff. Texas A&M, meanwhile, would've been fighting for their playoff lives without a chance to prove themselves on Championship Saturday. Yikes!
Why Notre Dame didn't make the College Football Playoff, explained
The committee takes the following criteria into account when picking the top-12 teams in the country:
- Strength of schedule
- Head-to-Head competition
- Comparative outcomes of common opponents
- Availability of key players and coaches
The Irish didn't rank in the top-12 in strength of resume, as they don't play in a conference. Joining the ACC wouldn't have helped them all that much this season, but it could've given them a chance to punch their ticket on Championship Saturday.
In terms of head-to-head matchups, Miami's victory over Notre Dame meant a whole lot to the committee, who kept the Canes in the field while dropping the Irish entirely.
So, BYU was penalized for getting blown out in its conference championship game (dropped one spot). Which allowed Miami to move up and get compared directly to Notre Dame.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) December 7, 2025
But Alabama was not penalized for getting blown out in its conference championship game.
BYU's loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game ultimately kept them out of the Playoff, but the committee did not penalize Alabama for suffering a similar fate in Atlanta. If we've learned anything this year, it's to take the committee's word only so seriously. Some fanbase is always going to end up upset, and when James Madison became the second Group-of-5 team in, it all but sealed the Irish's fate.
While a victory over Texas A&M would've helped the Irish quite a bit on Sunday, it's impossible to blame one moment in a given season for their downfall. A loss to Miami – and a subsequently weak schedule – ruined their chances in the eyes of the committee.