Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

After missing CFP, Notre Dame declines bowl game invite

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Dec 7, 2025 4:21 PM ET

After University of Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua told ESPN that the Fighting Irish missing the College Football Playoff "felt like a rug being pulled out from them", Notre Dame has declined to play in a bowl game this postseason.

Notre Dame missed the CFP field as Miami - which beat Notre Dame 27-24 on Aug. 31 - made the cut and conference champions Tulane and James Madison made the field. The Notre Dame football program put out a statement on Sunday afternoon saying that the team decided to not play in a bowl game.

pic.twitter.com/TyzavvzpC1
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 7, 2025

"As a team, we've decided to withdraw our name from consideration from a bowl game following the 2025 season," the team said in the statement. "We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we're hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026."

Notre Dame's decision an understandable one

After a 10-2 season that saw Notre Dame win their final eight games, it's understandable that the Fighting Irish are disappointed enough in the result of the CFP field selection that they opted out of a bowl game.

In a year where Notre Dame had championship aspirations and lost only two games - both to playoff teams - and barely missed the playoff, playing in another bowl game likely wouldn't offer much closure.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

More must-reads: