Notre Dame Is More 'Back' Than Ever After Stunning CFP Snub

Not since January 2, 1989 has Notre Dame football been as back as it is at this very moment.

Sure, Notre Dame was just alerted that it wasn't going to the College Football Playoff despite being as much of a threat to win the national championship as anyone. It's what Notre Dame clearly represents and threat that it now so clearly possesses that led to that decision.

Or dare I say, blackballing.

It happened before and it ever so clearly is happening again.

Notre Dame Robbed of College Football Playoff Appearance

Anyone who has watched football with a functioning set of eyeballs in the last half century would know this Notre Dame team was one at worst, the four or five best in college football this season.

That doesn't mean it would have won the national championship, but it does mean that the playoff doesn't consist of anything near the 12 best teams in the field.

Rules allowed for the likes of both James Madison and Tulane to get in the field, with both entering as more than two touchdown underdogs in their respective games. There was no fixing that issue this year, but there was another issue that was in play that is clear as day to see.

The Almighty SEC is Scared to Death of Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame

Outside of the folks at Miami who justifiably got into the College Football Playoff, nobody associated with the sport - fans, players, coaches, or executives - are more happy than those with allegiances to the SEC today.

The SEC was once the standard in college football, winning national championships on a seemingly annual basis. Then NIL became part of the game, Nick Saban retired, and things haven't been the same.

Couple in the sleeping giant that was Notre Dame finally being awaken and you've got a problem for the Southeastern Conference.

Notre Dame tackles Georgia in the 2025 Sugar Bow — Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) runs with the ball during the second half against Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Gi'Bran Payne (3) at Caesars Superdome. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Notre Dame physically dominated Georgia in last year's Sugar Bowl, eliminating the SEC champions despite hardly having any sort of downfield passing threat.

The Irish added that weapon this year with the development of quarterback CJ Carr, got better at wide receiver, and steadily improved as the year went on.

Make no mistake about it, this Notre Dame team was at worst just as good as the one that went to last season's national championship game. Had it been selected to play in the College Football Playoff, it would have been a road favorite against a mighty SEC foe, one it likely would have beaten, and we know the SEC and ESPN power couple just can't handle such an idea.

Instead, we get a snoozer of a rematch between an undeserving Alabama and an Oklahoma team that can't score points.

And one SEC team is guaranteed to advance.

AWESOME.

Make no mistake, if Notre Dame wasn't viewed as a threat to again embarrass the SEC, it would have been safely in the College Football Playoff. Instead, we get a bracket that gives the SEC a cakewalk to having at worst three teams in the quarterfinals while Georgia is the only team from it that is even close to being able to win a national championship.

ESPN and CFP Committee Trojan Horsed Alabama Into Playoff

We should have known this past Tuesday that Notre Dame was cooked in regards to the College Football Playoff.

For some godforsaken reason, the CFP committee rewarded Alabama, moving it up past Notre Dame last week. That move came after the mighty Crimson Tide needed a late touchdown to get by lowly Auburn, who finished the year 5-7.

There is nothing Alabama has done in the last month that shows its deserving of being a College Football Playoff team. In addition to getting its doors blown off Saturday and narrowly escaping Auburn, it wet itself down its leg at home against an Oklahoma team that doesn't have an offense, and looked anything but impressive against an LSU team that had already fired its head coach.

Oh, it did rout Eastern Illinois 56-0, though.

All this talk the last few weeks has been about Notre Dame's Week 1 result mattering as it lost to Miami. Justice was served in the fact that it did matter and Miami is rightfully in the College Football Playoff.

Unfortunately though, Alabama faced no punishment for its Week 1 result, an all-time embarrassing loss to a Florida State team that went just 5-7.

Or for getting its insides rearranged by Georgia on Saturday, all while Ohio State and BYU both dropped in the rankings as a direct result of losing conference championship games.

Nothing says you're back to Notre Dame like blackballing it from the postseason tournament it could have won.

Notre Dame's Independence is Plenty Strong

Sunday was a big day for those who want Notre Dame to join a conference.

"OH, NOTRE DAME HAS TO JOIN A CONFERENCE NOW!"

Except it doesn't.

Beat Texas A&M at home back in September and Notre Dame is safely in the College Football Playoff. It stinks and stings that Notre Dame missed out on the playoff this year because this was a team that could realistically have been national champion.

Ultimately what we learned Sunday is that Notre Dame is going to be held to a different standard than the rest of college football, specifically those in the SEC. It'll have to be 11-1 from here on out for Notre Dame to feel safe about making the CFP.

The good news is with athletic director Pete Bevacqua and head coach Marcus Freeman leading the charge, I feel more than safe in saying Notre Dame will be up to that task going forward.