On August 31st, 2024, Miami beat Notre Dame 27-24. Miami led 21-7 going into the 4th quarter and survived a comeback from Notre Dame to get the win. Notre Dame would go and lose to Texas A&M the following week, then they would win the next 10 games. Miami would go on to lose two ACC games but finish with an identical 10-2 record. The College Football Playoff Committee waited until the last ranking, and they flipped Notre Dame and Miami and gave Miami the last at-large berth in the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame did not make the College Football Playoff because of this decision.
Good reporting by @JenLada here. ND AD Pete Bevacqua calls rankings shows before the final rankings a “farce” and “waste of time.” https://t.co/9viHLTzXli
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 7, 2025
The College Football Playoff Committee got this decision right. Simply, if one team beats another team and they are neck and neck in the rankings, the team that wins the game should make the College Football Playoff. Miami beat Notre Dame, so they deserved the spot above them.
The mistake the committee made was having Notre Dame ahead of Miami for all the weekly ranking shows. It looks like they had poor taste in that you have Notre Dame ahead of Miami, then the final week, you flip them, even though neither team played this past weekend.
The College Football Playoff committee should look at whether it needs the weekly rankings to be released. It seems to just confuse College Football fans and make everyone question the College Football Committee process.
Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was extremely frustrated by the College Football Committee’s decision. They were so frustrated that they declined to play in a bowl game this season. The question Bevacqua must ask himself is this: Is it time for Notre Dame to play in a Conference? While being independent allows Notre Dame to play a unique schedule, it deprives them of a chance to play against higher competition.
In the Big Ten, they could get guaranteed matchups against teams they have played in the past, like Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State. This would help them boost their resume for the College Football Playoff. They also cannot ever play in a conference championship game. Two huge negatives for Notre Dame.
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 7, 2025
Now, Notre Dame is a partial member of the ACC, as it plays 5 or 6 games against ACC opponents. That is why Notre Dame and Miami played against each other back during the 1st week of the season. That game mattered, and it came back to hurt Notre Dame and cost them a spot in the College Football Committee. Then you add in the fact that Notre Dame decided to wimp out of a bowl game, and you see a total meltdown by Notre Dame. The College Football Playoff Committee got it right, though, because they honored the most important thing: the actual football game. Notre Dame lost to Miami on the field and in the last selection to the College Football Playoff.