Notre Dame has pulled itself out of bowl game consideration after being left out of the College Football Playoff. The Irish finished No. 11 in the final rankings, making them the first team excluded from the new 12-team field. Miami, which ended at No. 10, earned the last at-large spot despite spending several weeks ranked behind Notre Dame. Both teams were idle during conference championship weekend.
In a statement, Notre Dame said the team chose not to pursue a bowl bid after the 2025 season, thanking supporters and expressing hopes of winning a 12th national title in 2026. The Irish went 10-2, losing their first two games to CFP-bound Miami and Texas A&M before reeling off 10 straight wins, including victories over Mountain West champion Boise State and No. 16 USC. Still, that late surge wasn’t enough to keep them ahead of Miami when the committee finalized its selections.
Athletic director Pete Bevacqua sharply criticized the process, calling earlier rankings “a joke” and saying the team had its playoff chance “stolen.” This marks only the second time since 2009 and the first since 2016 that Notre Dame will skip postseason play. Last year they reached the CFP title game, ultimately falling to Ohio State.
Notre Dame joins several other programs choosing to forgo bowl games. Iowa State and Kansas State were recently fined by the Big 12 for opting out amid coaching changes, though neither had been in the playoff hunt.
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