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Notre Dame made headlines twice over the weekend: one, for not being selected to participate in the College Football Playoff, and two, for their bowing out of any potential bowl game invite as a result. Their athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, spoke on both of those issues at length on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday.
Bevacqua repeatedly made the point that Notre Dame had no problem with the teams that were selected for the CFP over them, saying again and again that Miami and Alabama, among others, were great teams – but so was Notre Dame. Their issue with this was the “process,” which Bevacqua explained, as well as with the Atlantic Coast Conference and their politicking decisions. On the process:
“You know, every step along the way, since the first CFP rankings came out, we were led to believe we were in as long as we took care of business,” Bevacqua told Patrick. “And we certainly took care of business with this 10-game winning streak. You think about that first ranking, we and Miami were both 6-2, they had already obviously beat us the first game of the year. They were 18th, we were 10th. You know, the only thing we did since that point was win every game by an average of over 30 points. And all of a sudden we’re 11th and on the outside looking in. When we sit and talk to [head coach Marcus Freeman], once we discuss to our workforce, we don’t have any good solutions for that.
“So we’re simply actually pissed off that we had the rug pulled out from beneath us.”
And on the ACC:
“I’d let you know once more, I’ve super respect for Miami; nice workforce, nice faculty. Their athletic director Dan Radakovich is an effective buddy. And all of the groups within the ACC, great universities. We’ve got no gripes about any of the colleges within the ACC. However we have been mystified by the actions of the convention to assault, actually, their largest enterprise companion in soccer, and a member of their convention in 24 of our different sports activities. I wouldn’t be sincere with you if I didn’t say that they’ve definitely achieved everlasting harm to the connection between the convention and Notre Dame.
“We didn’t respect the truth that we have been singled out repeatedly, and in comparison with Miami — not by Miami, Miami has each proper to do this — nevertheless it raised plenty of eyebrows right here that the convention was taking pictures at us. And you understand that’s simply not one thing we selected to do. We wouldn’t select to do this sooner or later, and folks would possibly disagree with us however that’s simply not one thing that we’d be comfy with.”
When requested if Notre Dame was going to reevaluate its relationship with the ACC, Bevacqua acknowledged that, “I’d simply say it’s been strained… you by no means say irreparable, nevertheless it’s opened our eyes, and it caught our consideration.”
Since 2014, Notre Dame and the ACC have had an settlement the place the unbiased Combating Irish would schedule not less than 5 convention opponents every season. That may be a non-insignificant chunk of Notre Dame’s 12 months, and in addition a substantial variety of high-profile matchups for ACC colleges. Faculties like Miami, whose victory over Notre Dame within the first week of the 2025 season helped propel them to the CFP and maintain the Irish out.
What precisely was mentioned behind closed doorways by the committee is not generally known as of but, however publicly the ACC did embody Notre Dame in its pro-Miami case for the CFP by way of social media posts that have been designed to strengthen the Hurricanes’ case on the expense of the Combating Irish.
Bevacqua pressured that Miami wasn’t the problem, although, whereas acknowledging that they misplaced to the Hurricanes to open the season. The issue was course of and being singled out by the ACC for Miami’s sake: Notre Dame felt they took care of enterprise as they wanted to, and but noticed themselves slip down the rankings and be handed over by the committee regardless of a 10-game successful streak stuffed with dominant wins to shut out the 12 months.
“We made our case, we acknowledged our perspective. However once more in case you’re us, we have been instructed from day one of many rankings that we have been in,” Bevacqua mentioned. “We have been ninth after which impulsively we go play a sport towards Stanford — it felt like in the midst of the night time — and we took care of enterprise, and Alabama has a very powerful sport towards an Auburn workforce that’s having a tricky 12 months, and we get up on Tuesday and we fall under Alabama for the primary time. And it was all in regards to the fierce dialog between Notre Dame and Alabama, and I heard one thing to the impact that Alabama went for it on fourth down, in order that made an impression. And simply our heads have been spinning, like the place’s the logic, the place’s the rationale, why are we being form of punished, and the one ones that appear to be shifting within the unsuitable route. And but successful, and having an unbelievably dominant finish to the season.”
The top results of this was that Notre Dame missed the CFP after which declined any potential bowl sport invitation, ending their 12 months to “give attention to subsequent season” whereas acknowledging that a number of participant like Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Worth, Eli Raridon and Aamil Wagner may not have even participated in a bowl sport, anyway. When Patrick acknowledged that it “seems like a message being despatched” with the choice to bow out, Bevacqua did not mince phrases: “Effectively we’re not blissful, that’s for positive.”
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