Since the creation of the College Football Playoff, there has always been some controversy surrounding who gets the chance to play for a national title. But this year, tensions surrounding the playoff bracket have boiled over.
The format for this year bracket was as follows: The top 5 ranked conference champions receive automatic qualifiers, with the next 7 highest-ranked programs getting at-large bids[1]. The top four teams, as well as the first round teams seemed to follow in line with the rankings throughout the season. Where things got controversial was the selections for the 9 through 12 slots. Alabama received the number 9 spot, despite losing to Georgia in the SEC Championship. Miami earned the number 10 spot, despite being ranked behind Notre Dame and BYU. The No. 11 and 12 spots went to two Group of 6 teams, Tulane and James Madison. Despite Notre Dame being ranked No. 11 and BYU being ranked No. 12, both teams were left out[2].
In reaction to their playoff snub, Notre Dame’s athletic director Pete Bevacqua, said the ACC has caused permanent damage to the relationship between Notre Dame and the ACC[3]. Bevacqua is upset with how the ACC pushed for Miami over Notre Dame leading to the CFP selection, especially since Notre Dame has scheduling pacts with many ACC teams, and is a member of the conference in most other major sports[4].
As a result of the CFP bracket, Notre Dame declined to play in a bowl game this season[5]. This started a trend of teams increasingly declining bowl games due to coaching changes, NIL dynamics, transfer portal chaos, and financial losses, which will reshape the postseason landscape[6]. Ultimately, it seems as though college football is likely going to have more major
[1] Amanda Christovich, Controversial CFP Reveal: Miami Is In, Notre Dame and BYU Are Out, Front Office Sports (December 7, 2025).
[2] Id.
[3] Adam Rittenberg, Notre Dame AD rips ACC, saying ‘permanent damage’ has been done, ESPN (December 8, 2025).
[4]Alex Weber, Notre Dame AD says College Football Playoff politics damaged relationship with ACC, Sports Illustrated (December 8, 2025).
[5] Shlomo Sprung, Why College Football Teams Are Turning Down Bowl Game Bids, Yahoo Sports (December 11, 2025).
[6] Id.
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