What Comes Next for Notre Dame Football After THIS Season?

There has been a natural grieving and grievance period commencing among Notre Dame nation since the drama of the CFP selection process unfolded.

To some extent, this is healthy.

The CFP snub was a brutal hit to take and caused a visceral reaction from all with Irish interests. That being said, at some point, the page needs to turn forward. While the fans can complain all offseason if they wish, the actual Notre Dame Football team must quickly turn its focus to what comes next. Let's examine some of the "to-do" items for the Irish in this time period.

Notre Dame needs to hit home runs in the portal and in traditional recruiting

Unfortunately, Notre Dame has much more free time on its hands this time of year, not being involved in the CFP. Rather than sit around and feel sorry for themselves, the Irish must use this extra undivided time to hammer portal research and double down on traditional recruiting. This is the lifeblood of any program, and the Irish can go all in this winter.

Notre Dame players need to go home and be with their families

Yeah, yeah, yeah, and while they're at it, they should probably watch Rudy, too, right?

This might seem schmaltzy, but this might be the one chance these guys have to fully recharge, because 2026 is going to be intense.

Notre Dame players are surely deflated and frustrated after sacrificing so much to get the Irish in CFP position, only to have the rug pulled out from under them. These players need a mental and physical break from this entire situation.

I hope they can go home, see their family and friends, sleep in their own beds, and eat their mom's home-cooked meals. I truly think this will do everyone involved some good.

LOVE that 🫶

Jeremiyah Love has been named a Sporting News First-Team All-American 🇺🇸☘️#GoIrish☘️ | @JeremiyahLove pic.twitter.com/Q3FgGngHw0
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 17, 2025

Notre Dame must embrace the villain role and lean into it

Notre Dame is despised around the country.

If you need evidence of this, open up any social media app and take a look at what is being said about the Irish. It's time for Notre Dame to lean into this heel role. Even worse, it's seen as spoiled and whiny.

Use the blind Irish hatred that is on public display as motivation for what comes next.

Notre Dame used to be spoken about as "America's Team". Now, Notre Dame is America's most hated team. What a terrific motivator if processed properly.

Notre Dame's staff must re-evaluate how it evaluates

A big part of the reason Notre Dame lost two games early in 2025 was due to misevaluations by the Irish staff in August camp. Players were asked to perform roles they couldn't play in these games, and it led directly to two losses.

The Irish cannot afford for this to happen again. Marcus Freeman and company must adjust how they test the roster in Spring and Fall camp moving forward.