Getty Images
Atlanta, GA – Notre Dame being left out of the NCAA Playoffs sparked immediate outrage across college football circles, but honestly? I’m perfectly fine with the committee’s decision. The Irish have long lived in a world of their own, and for the first time in a long time, that world finally came with consequences.
Let’s start with what everyone already knows: their season opener against the Miami Hurricanes. Notre Dame fell 27–24, and while it was a close game, the result mattered. In a postseason format where head-to-head results carry real weight, that loss wasn’t something the committee could overlook. It created a direct comparison between the two programs, and in that comparison, Notre Dame came up short.
Now, to be fair, the Irish still built one of the strongest “at-large” resumes of any non-conference team in the country. They won 10 straight games. They looked better each week. They checked nearly every box you’d expect from a playoff-caliber team.
But that’s exactly where my issue lies.
Notre Dame isn’t just a team with no conference title, they’re a program that chooses not to play in a conference. They’ve embraced independence for decades, enjoying the freedom, the branding, the NBC deal, and the national scheduling flexibility. But independence comes with a cost, and this year was the bill coming due.
As an independent, ND has no conference championship game, no opportunity to earn an automatic bid, and no chance to boost their resume on the biggest weekend of the season. While teams across the country were fighting for titles, the Irish were on the sidelines, waiting and hoping. That’s not the committee’s fault, that’s Notre Dame’s identity by choice.
For years, I’ve wanted Notre Dame to join the ACC as a full football member. They already play basketball, baseball, and most other sports there. It made sense geographically, competitively, and financially. But the Irish stayed independent, and they likely always will. They’ve dominated the independent landscape for generations, using their national brand to bypass the traditional structure that every other playoff contender must navigate.
And for a long time, it worked for them.
