Notre Dame Rages Against The College Football Playoff Machine

Notre Dame will not take CFP snub lightly

Since Notre Dame's infamous CFP snub occurred Sunday, Irish Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua has been hitting the media circuit to express his displeasure with the selection process publicly in an effort to defend Notre Dame.

This move has poured gasoline on the fire that has already been raging regarding Notre Dame and its place in a CFP world that is dominated by conference-affiliated entities.

While Irish nation appreciates Pete going to bat for Notre Dame, most outside that circle are doubling down on Irish entitlement claims and are piling on the Irish for complaining about this process, how it went, and how it ended. There are two sides to this debate, and both have merit.

"We were mystified by the actions of the conference... They have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame."

– Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua on their relationship with the ACC. pic.twitter.com/uvpWqrU8PM
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) December 8, 2025

Pete Bevacqua's job is to defend Notre Dame

One of Pete Bevacqua's main job duties is to protect the brand. As such, he feels it's necessary to speak to the media and share the Irish's argument. Most, if not all Notre Dame supporters appreciate Pete's effort in this regard. The thinking here is, if we don't speak up for us, nobody will.

Bevacqua feels Notre Dame was misled throughout the CFP rankings process, and the way Notre Dame got jumped at the end deserves further explanation. The question now becomes, does any tangible change come from this, or is Pete simply doing this media tour because it's all he can do and doesn't feel like he can just stand by and do nothing?

More ammunition to the anti-Notre Dame angle

While those in Notre Dame's camp appreciate Bevacqua's public relations attempts to defend Notre Dame, those outside of it are piling on. They claim the Irish are crying because they didn't get their way and bowed out of a bowl game in an act of defiant cowardice and immaturity.

The last couple of days have gone about as poorly as could be for Notre Dame. Missing the playoffs is one thing, but rejecting all other bowl bids and complaining publicly, even if justified, has caused the already readily present anti Notre Dame hate to grow.

There are times when independence is a big advantage for Notre Dame. This is not one of those times. The Notre Dame brand is powerful, but it cannot win a battle with TV networks and full conferences working against it.

What comes next in this never-ending drama will be very interesting. Does the CFP process change after this Irish exclusion? Do the Irish exit their partnership with the ACC? Only time will tell.