Why Notre Dame missed the College Football Playoff: Miami jumps Irish in shocking committee reversal

This year's biggest College Football Playoff argument revolved around Notre Dame, as last year's runner-up failed to earn another postseason spot.

The Fighting Irish had a tough start, losing their first two games to Miami and Texas A&M. At 0-2, Notre Dame then reeled off 10 straight victories, keeping its season alive and giving the team a chance to return to the playoff.

The committee kept Notre Dame in the field entering championship weekend, as the Irish appeared to have an inside edge. However, on Sunday, Notre Dame was left out of the bracket, ending Marcus Freeman's hopes of returning to the national championship game.

So, what happened this week that made the committee change its mind? Here's how the Fighting Irish ended up on the outside looking in.

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Why Notre Dame missed the College Football Playoff

After weeks of keeping Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, the committee ultimately decided to leave the Fighting Irish out of the field. 

Notre Dame is one of several teams with two losses that had an argument to make the final bracket, but the Fighting Irish lost out in the end. While Notre Dame won 10 straight games to end the season, the committee couldn't get over its first two losses.

In the final weeks of the regular season, the committee kept Notre Dame a few spots ahead of Miami in the rankings despite the Hurricanes' head-to-head victory. The committee argued that it had been comparing teams in pairs, so as long as Miami and Notre Dame weren't next to each other in the rankings, the committee wouldn't pit them against each other.

However, based on the results of championship weekend, that appears to have changed. After BYU's loss in the Big 12 championship, Miami jumped the Cougars to sit a spot behind Notre Dame, forcing the committee to compare the two teams directly. Therefore, the committee could no longer ignore the fact that the Hurricanes beat the Fighting Irish to open the season.

MORE: Should Notre Dame join a football conference?

Notre Dame likely would have remained in the CFP field as long as it kept distance from Miami in the rankings, but the events of championship weekend seemed to keep that from happening. Once the final spot came down to Miami vs. Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish couldn't overcome that opening-week loss.

While Miami's loss to Louisville is the worst of the four losses between these two teams, the Hurricanes' victory over Notre Dame ended up as the tiebreaker. After weeks of discussion regarding Miami and Notre Dame, the Hurricanes were the ultimate benefactors.

.@CFBPlayoff Selection Committee chair Hunter Yurachek breaks down what went into the decision for 10-seed Miami to make the playoffs 👀 pic.twitter.com/DFo7K18Wna

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 7, 2025

Additionally, after Alabama was blown out in the SEC Championship game, Notre Dame fans argued that the Crimson Tide should be left out instead. The committee, though, seemed to value the Crimson Tide making the SEC Championship altogether, and didn't want to punish them for losing in a week that Notre Dame was idle.

While Alabama limped to the finish line, the team did have the most impressive win of the year, a road win against Georgia, which the committee believes stands alone.

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Who did Notre Dame lose to?

Notre Dame lost its first two games of the year, a season-opener to Miami and a home game against Texas A&M. While both those teams ended the season ranked in the top 10, the committee determined the the Fighting Irish were unable to make up the losses with 10-straight wins.

Why isn't Notre Dame in a conference?

Notre Dame is and Independent team in college football, as the school prefers that to joining a conference. Part of that is money, as Notre Dame has its own TV rights deal with NBC, and part of it is flexibility, since the Fighting Irish can create their own schedule.

MORE: Explaining Notre Dame's independent status

Notre Dame Football schedule 2025