Amid the vast drama on Selection Sunday. Notre Dame has implanted its mark, stating clearly its frustration of recent decisions. The Fighting Irish were in the Playoff picture for most of the year, but on Selection Sunday the committee reversed picking the Miami Hurricanes as the 10th seed.
In an announcement from On3, Notre Dame opted out of playing in a bowl game.
The Fighting Irish were controversially left out of Sunday’s final rankings as Miami leapt Notre Dame to secure the final at-large bid. Alabama remained put at No. 9 giving way to the Irish and Hurricanes being side-by-side.
This ultimately gave the edge to Miami as its 27-24 head-to-head victory in Week 1 was favored by the committee. Subsequently, the Irish were the first team left out of the Playoff.
“As a team, we've decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” Notre Dame Football posted. “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.”
This isn’t the first time an event like this has occurred, however, the Irish have set a clear precedent that it doesn’t value a bowl game outside of the Playoff.
"The bowl system we know now is offically dead," a bowl executive told @On3sports. "RIP. It was a nice run while it lasted." https://t.co/2ucqdsmCfW
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 7, 2025
After losing to NIU early in the season last year, Notre Dame went onto make the Playoff. The Irish won games against Indiana, Georgia and Penn State reaching the title before losing to Ohio State.
Notre Dame will open its 2026 season against Wisconsin in Lambeau Field on Sep. 6.