Notre Dame Left Out of 2025 College Football Playoff in New Projection

Lindy's Sports doesn't see more magic for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish in 2025

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman talks to a referee against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Notre Dame is fresh off a 2024 season that saw it march to the national championship game before falling against Ohio State last year. Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish now look to get over that final hump in 2025 and win it all, but that doesn't mean national outlets think they will.

Notre Dame hasn't been picked to win the national championship by any major outlets that I've seen, but it has been predicted to make it back to the College Football Playoff by all.

Or at least, it had been.

I picked up a Lindy's Sports College Football Preview magazine at the drugstore this weekend after seeing a great photo of Jeremiyah Love on the cover. Notre Dame showed up No. 6 nationally in their preseason rankings as they said the following of the Fighting Irish:

Jan 18, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) during practice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"We'll know early if Notre Dame's playoff expectation is warranted when the Irish play Miami, Texas A&M and Arkansas in the first four weeks. With only six players drafted, Notre Dame returns the wealth of a squad that was a few plays away from winning it all."

Despite the compliments, Notre Dame was nowhere to be found in the College Football Playoff predictions section.

Lindy's College Football Playoff Predictions for 2025:

First Round Byes (put together before the seeding changes were made this spring):

No. 1: Texas
No. 2: Penn State
No. 3: Clemson
No. 4: Arizona State

First Round Matchups:

No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 LSU vs. No. 11 SMU
No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 10 Miami
No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 Georgia

Quarterfinal Matchups:

Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 7 Oregon
Orange Bowl: No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 6 LSU
Rose Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Ohio State
Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8. Alabama

Semifinal Matchups:

Fiesta Bowl: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Ohio State
Peach Bowl: No. 2 Penn State vs. No 3. Clemson

National Championship Game:

No. 1 Texas 31, No. 2 Penn State 24