The Harsh Truth: Notre Dame Did Not Deserve a Playoff Spot

It’s that time of year again, the final College Football Playoff poll is back! Every season, the College Football Playoff results in a crazy swarm of debates, but this year’s crazy debate is over Notre Dame’s exclusion from the playoffs. The reality is simple: Notre Dame did not deserve a playoff spot, and the committee’s decision was justified.
Let’s start with the facts. Notre Dame began the season with two losses. Regardless of how tough Miami and Texas A&M may have been, starting 0-2 is not the mark of an elite team worthy of a top-four finish. Playoff contenders don’t stumble out of the gate; they set the tone from week one. Winning out the rest of the season is admirable, but it doesn’t erase the early failures that dug a hole for the Irish in the first place.
The argument about Notre Dame’s “strong schedule” is honestly foolish. Sure, they played ranked opponents, but beating Pittsburgh and a mediocre USC team isn’t nearly as impressive when compared to what other contenders accomplished. Other teams not only survived tough schedules, but they did so without the luxury of independent status, facing the added challenge of conference play and championship games.
Notre Dame fans are trying to create one great argument around how Notre Dame should have been included instead of Miami. This whole thing is just wrong. Notre Dame had a similar strength of schedule to Miami, yet Miami won in the head-to-head matchup. The only controversy that any non-biased college football fan can make an argument for is the fact that a 3-loss Alabama team made the playoffs. I give Irish fans the benefit of the doubt; it is very irregular that a 3-loss team makes the playoffs. With that being said, the argument is very weak considering Alabama’s schedule. Alabama had 2 ranked wins with one of them being 14-ranked Vanderbilt and 3-ranked Georgia in Athens, Georgia.
Conference championships matter. The CFP Selection Committee rightfully gives weight to teams that prove themselves against the best of their conference. Notre Dame, by remaining independent, continues to dodge this crucial standpoint, and this is not bias; it’s accountability. If the Irish want the same respect as conference champions, they should join a conference and compete for a title like everyone else.
Let’s not pretend that Notre Dame’s brand or TV ratings should outweigh on-field results. This isn’t a popularity contest; it’s about crowning the best teams in college football. The Irish’s narrow losses and big wins might look good on paper, but ultimately, they failed to deliver when it counted most. There are no moral victories in the playoff race; only pure and outstanding results.
Though, it seems like the soft and entitled children that are the University of Notre Dame and their fans, have once again gotten their way. After immense whining and complaining, the NCAA folded and gave in. They decided to gift this team special treatment that pertains to no other team in college football. Starting next year, if Notre Dame is top 12 in the CFP rankings at the end of the year, they will automatically make the playoffs. This special treatment comes as no surprise, considering that many college football analysts see Notre Dame as a “blue blood” team, holding them in the same standard as teams like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, etc.
Notre Dame fans may feel like 5-year-old, little kids not getting the toy they wanted for Christmas, but the truth is the committee got it right. The Irish didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the playoffs. Their denial should serve as a wake-up call; if you want in, win big from the start, join a conference, and prove you belong. Until then, the outrage is nothing but noise; the playoffs are for the best, and this year, Notre Dame simply wasn’t one of them.