Notre Dame’s Independence Wins Big with College Football Playoff Expansion

More teams in the College Football Playoff means Notre Dame's independence only strengthens

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It certainly sounds like the 12-team College Football Playoff isn't long for this Earth.

It happened for the 2024 season, will happen in the 2025 season, but beyond that it is almost guaranteed to be expanded.

The only question is whether it will be to 14 or 16 teams.

Regardless of what it ends up at, Notre Dame's football independence is the biggest winner.

Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua speaks with media at Notre Dame Stadium on Monday, Dec. 17, 2024, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the Big Ten and SEC use their weight to push around their demands for the expanded playoff by demanding four automatic qualifiers each year, Notre Dame sits back with its feet up perhaps never enjoying its independence more.

Fresh off a National Championship game appearance that netted the school $20 million, Notre Dame also re-upped its deal with NBC late in the fall of 2023 through 2029.

As the College Football Playoff field expands to 14 or 16 in the not-so-distant future, Notre Dame's requirements to make the tournament only lessen.

Felt cute, might delete next year. 😎#GoIrish x #Rally pic.twitter.com/clnbxNEeOF

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 3, 2020

In the old four team format, Notre Dame's hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff would have been done after losing to Northern Illinois last year. Instead, Notre Dame didn't just make the playoff but hosted a home game despite the loss.

Now, instead of having to finish essentially in the top 12, that number will grow to either 14 or 16.

Notre Dame's administration has made clear that it will remain independent as long as it can compete financially with the biggest programs in the sport and have a path to competing for the national championship.

Those are taken care of only further with the TV deal and expanded playoff.

The one concern would be if the Big Ten and SEC each move to nine-game conference schedules (Big Ten already does this) and then form a scheduling agreement between the two. Would that cut off Notre Dame's ability to put together a respectable schedule?

Notre Dame football has been black balled by the Big Ten before, but I have trouble believing the majority of teams in those conferences would pass on a chance to play Notre Dame in a regular season game considering the eyeballs it brings.

Sep 1, 2018; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush (7) runs the ball in the third quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Notre Dame Stadium. | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

As the Big Ten and SEC make their demands for the four automatic spots and the ACC and Big 12 each get a pair of automatic entries, all Notre Dame has to do is finish in the top 14 (or 16) to make the field going forward.

That is something Notre Dame has failed to do that in five of the 11 years the College Football Playoff has existed, so it's no clearly no guarantee the program is a shoo-in annually.

But let's not kid ourselves, the Big Ten and SEC's demands may benefit the conferences, but Notre Dame's independence will be the biggest winner in all of it.

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