Notre Dame Urged to Make Major Decision After College Football Playoff Snub

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Dec 7, 2025 1:55 PM ET

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish finished the 2025 regular season 10-2. After opening the season with losses to the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies, they went on a 10-game winning streak.

Going into the College Football Playoff's final rankings on Sunday, the Fighting Irish had hope of securing a spot. However, as an independent, the program faces more challenges than most.

Of the 12 spots, five are given to the top five highest-ranked conference winners. That means Notre Dame's only way to make the playoffs is to earn one of the seven at-large bids.

The program wasn't able to do that in 2025, with Sunday's final College Football Playoff rankings revealing that Notre Dame was one of the first teams out. It's become a controversial decision with Miami (10-2) and Alabama (10-3) making it instead.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman.© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Following the final rankings, Barstool Sports president and recurring "Big Noon Kickoff" analyst Dave Portnoy claimed this situation should urge Notre Dame to join a conference.

"I have no sympathy for ND," Portnoy wrote via X. "Join a conference bro. The team that got screwed is BYU as I knew they would. Conference title game doesn’t matter for Bama, just BYU. We knew it wouldn’t make sense and it doesn’t make sense."

I have no sympathy for ND. Join a conference bro. The team that got screwed is BYU as I knew they would. Conference title game doesn’t matter for Bama, just BYU. We knew it wouldn’t make sense and it doesn’t make sense.
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) December 7, 2025

However, there's been no indication that the Fighting Irish plan to do so. The only season they've participated in a conference was in 2020 with the ACC. Though that was only due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the expanded College Football Playoff format, Notre Dame only being eligible to secure seven of the 12 spots puts them at a major disadvantage. Increasing the likelihood of competing for a national championship makes a compelling argument for joining a conference.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: