During a Dec. 17 press conference, Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua holds up one of the towels that will be handed out during Notre Dame football's game against Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua Lands Major College Football Playoff Victory

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By John Kennedy | Last updated May 27, 2025 3:30 PM ET

Pete Bevacqua, Notre Dame stand alone

Pete Bevacqua, Notre Dame's new AD, is a one-man army when it comes to the CFP governing committee.

Unlike the others with seats at the negotiating table, who all have present or past conference affiliations, Bevacqua is the outlier. He represents Notre Dame. The only independent program that is in the CFP mix.

This dynamic presents both some advantages and challenges. On his side, Bevacqua has more flexibility than most AD's since the Irish can make more autonomous decisions than those encumbered by full-time conference membership.

On the flipside, though, Bevacqua is outnumbered as he is surrounded by only those with "conference first" allegiances and values.

This is a delicate and tricky place to be for certain, but Bevacqua can and has more than held his own in his vigorous defense of Notre Dame and its place in the CFP world.

Here's how @BCrawford247 sees the 2025 CFP bracket looking with the new straight seeding model

Full breakdown: https://t.co/AGN2tFRJrr pic.twitter.com/JwSUdDCMwe
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) May 22, 2025

Bevacqua collects huge win for Notre Dame

Under the new CFP straight seeding format, Notre Dame is now eligible for a round one bye, thus eliminating the "Notre Dame CFP tax" that previously made the fifth seed the highest the Irish could attain regardless of rank and eliminating a round one bye possibility.

This move is a huge win for Notre Dame and Bevacqua. Why? On a basic level, it's simply easier mathematically to win three games than four in the CFP to collect the title trophy. But on a larger scale, I like that Notre Dame had to give up nothing to push this move through. That's a total 100% win by any measure.

Bevacqua, with his Notre Dame and NBC experience, is the right man for this important job as the rocky seas of the college football world change rapidly. I have complete trust in him to keep Notre Dame viable CFP-wise and financially in the now, while retaining enough flexibility to pivot down the road if needed. Between Pete Bevacqua and Marcus Freeman, the Irish program is in great hands.

For more Irish news & notes, follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and on your preferred audio podcast provider.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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