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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish announced Sunday that the team will forgo participating in a bowl game after being left out of the College Football Playoff field.
Notre Dame was chosen as the first eliminated team as the College Football Playoff committee revealed the tournament bracket. The Miami Hurricanes skipped Notre Dame to advance to the playoffs, while the James Madison Dukes and Tulane Green Wave were also deemed more worthy of a spot ahead of the Fighting Irish.
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Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Donovan Hinish (41) after the game against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium on November 1, 2025. (Edward Finan/Imagn Images)
A few hours after the selections were revealed, Notre Dame decided to withdraw from the bowl games.
“As a team, we have decided to withdraw our name from bidding for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” the school announced.
“We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we look forward to bringing the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”
Notre Dame finished the season 10-2 with losses to Miami and the Texas A&M Aggies. Both defeats occurred at the start of the season. The Fighting Irish were ranked ahead of Miami in the penultimate version.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) throws a buzzer at the line of scrimmage against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium on November 15, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS COMMITTEE REQUESTS FRENZED DEBATE AS NOTRE DAME KEPT OUT OF FINAL FIELD
As college football fans debated whether Notre Dame should have entered the final field, CFP committee chairman Hunter Yurachek spoke about the decision regarding ESPN.
“You look at these two teams on paper and they were almost equal in terms of strength of schedule, common opponents, results against their common opponents, but the only metric we had to rely on was head-to-head,” he said. “I tasked the committee members to go back and watch that game because it was so far away and we had an interesting debate from our coaches about what that game was like.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) celebrates his touchdown with teammates in the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on October 18, 2025. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)
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“It is with this in mind that we prioritized Miami, rather than Notre Dame, for that 10th spot.”
