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Rick Neuheisel critical of Notre Dame 'brand' impacting CFP ranking

Joe Cox|
CBS analyst Rick Neuheisel was critical of Notre Dame's 'brand' giving the school a CFP bounce.
CBS analyst Rick Neuheisel was critical of Notre Dame's 'brand' giving the school a CFP bounce. | Tom Tingle/The Republic

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CBS sports analyst Rick Neuheisel took a shot at Notre Dame and the school's "brand" giving the Irish a boost in the College Football Playoff rankings. While some are claiming that 2025 marks a new era of parity in college football (witness the rise of Indiana and Vanderbilt, among others), Neuheisel notes that the wins and losses are still unfairly weighted based on a brand.

It is interesting that Miami is ahead of Georgia Tech in the ACC. It's the power of the victory over Notre Dame. And yet, they don't get the credit for having beat Notre Dame, because actually Notre Dame is sitting there at No. 9, well ahead of them. And yet half the schedule of Notre Dame is an ACC schedule. It makes no sense. But that's where we are in the power of Notre Dame.... It's a monster brand and it resonates.
Rick Neuheisel

Notre Dame's resume

Miami did best Notre Dame 27-24 in Week 1. The Irish lost the following week to Texas A&M, but have since resurrected their CFP hopes. Admittedly, a full six of the Irish's 12 games are against ACC opponents. The Irish also play two SEC teams (A&M and Arkansas), two Big Ten teams (USC and Purdue) and a pair of non-power conference foes in Boise State and Navy. The Irish are 1-2 against currently ranked teams heading into this weekend's trip to No. 23 Pittsburgh.

Miami and Tech's seasons

Miami, on the other hand, owns a 2-1 mark against currently ranked teams, having beaten Notre Dame and South Florida and lost to Louisville ahead of their own season-ending game at Pittsburgh. Georgia Tech is 8-1 overall, but has played no games against teams currently ranked in the top 20. The Yellowjackets finish with a home game against Pittsburgh and then a trip to Georgia to finish the regular season.

Texas's brand advantage

Neuheisel also brought up Texas as an example of another team benefitting off its brand. The Longhorns are sitting at No. 10 in the CFP rankings despite losing to a 3-6 Florida team that is all but guaranteed to miss the postseason. The Longhorns are 2-1 against currently ranked teams, having beaten Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. But Texas has won ugly-- trailing by 17 at Mississippi State and needing overtime to squeak past Kentucky.

Freeman
Rick Neuheisel was critical of Notre Dame and coach Marcus Freeman getting a "brand" advantage to place above two competitive ACC teams despite what amounts to essentially an ACC schedule. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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