Notre Dame opts to skip postseason entirely after being left out of College Football Playoff

After being snubbed by the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame has pulled itself out of the postseason entirely

After being snubbed by the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame has pulled itself out of the postseason entirely.

Hours after being left out of the 12-team playoff, the Fighting Irish announced that “as a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” the football team posted on X.

“We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”

The Fighting Irish played in last season's national championship game but were on the playoff bubble this fall after a 10-2 record, including an opening-week loss at Miami. Notre Dame was ranked in the top 10 of every ranking by the playoff selection committee until Sunday's final rankings, when it fell to 11th and was the first team left out. Meanwhile Miami (10-2) earned the final at-large berth.

The Fighting Irish had won 10 consecutive games and were idle Saturday but fell anyway. Athletic director Pete Bevacqua called the previous rankings a “farce and total waste of time” to ESPN.