2025 College Football Playoffs

[Bane]

I honestly think last year shook the SEC. Nobody expected that from ND and it was another year with the mighty SEC on the outside looking in for the championship. This year, it was a legitimate threat of another ND run, ending with another championship game with no SEC participation. It would further hallow the belief of SEC superiority. They wanted us out and the ACC played ball simply because they need any sort of relevance.

Yes, last year we killed their best team in the field (I never believed in Texas). This year, they have the skids greased for their best team (UGA again) with a sacrificial lamb for their first game, either a Kiffinless OM or Tulane, to ensure they at least get to the semis.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

Wilbon believes ND is racist because they fired Ty Willingham. I used to be an avid watcher of that stupid show (I can't believe it's still on the air) and he's been grinding that axe for over 20 years now. Not sure if he hated them before then, but I do remember him crashing out about that and he's never, ever let it go.

Wilborn is a Chicago native who also attended Northwestern. Not sure where his hate originated but he ramped it up when they fired Davie after ND gave him an extension the year before & then during the Willingham hiring & subsequent firing. Reading his comments, it sounds like he sees ND as a bastion of hypocrisy that says one thing about standards & character but does the opposite when it suits their need for making money via football. He ain’t the first & he ain’t the last to hate ND.

 

[NCIrish24]

Driskell v McElroy

12-8-25 McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning Hour 2: Why Notre Dame isn't playing a bowl game; Changing Narratives happening everywhere; Bryan Driskell talks Notre Dame - McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning

The 8am hour of Monday's Mac & Cube continued with a look at Notre Dame's decision to opt out of playing a bowl game and how childish they look in doing so; then, Bryan Driskell, from Irish Illustrated, tells us why Notre Dame is frustrated with the CFP Committee's reasoning for the Playoff...

omny.fm

Had respect for McElroy until I heard this. He almost started a personal attack on Driskell and I thought Driskell was pretty fair.

 

[IrishLax]

I honestly think last year shook the SEC. Nobody expected that from ND and it was another year with the mighty SEC on the outside looking in for the championship. This year, it was a legitimate threat of another ND run, ending with another championship game with no SEC participation. It would further hallow the belief of SEC superiority. They wanted us out and the ACC played ball simply because they need any sort of relevance.

ND was going to obliterate Oklahoma. Ole Miss has no coach. A&M coin flip at best against Miami.

They were staring down Ole Miss at Georgia and then Georgia getting spanked by Ohio State. Now they guarantee 3x SEC in the quarterfinals it's diabolical.

 

[IrishinSyria]

ND was going to obliterate Oklahoma. Ole Miss has no coach. A&M coin flip at best against Miami.

They were staring down Ole Miss at Georgia and then Georgia getting spanked by Ohio State. Now they guarantee 3x SEC in the quarterfinals it's diabolical.

Does them going to 9 conference games solve this moving forward? Should make it more difficult for five teams to make it through with virtually none of them having played each other.

Maybe the most optimistic take away is that this was a terrible year to field a great team...between the MOU not going into effect until next year and the SEC log jam and the ACC's broken CCG selection process getting exposed, a lot of what screwed us seems like it's going away (not that the conferences won't find other ways to fuck us).

 

[BrianWalsh]

This just struck me and forgive me if it has been mentioned: why did the the CFP Comittee (a/k/a ESPN) keep ND in the playoffs until they dropped them at the end? Well 3 of ND’s last five games were on ESPN against dog crap ACC teams. Hmm….

 

[GATTACA!]

This just struck me and forgive me if it has been mentioned: why did the the CFP Comittee (a/k/a ESPN) keep ND in the playoffs until they dropped them at the end? Well 3 of ND’s last five games were on ESPN against dog crap ACC teams. Hmm….

 

[Irishcop]

Really starting to think that many team's fanbases are used as pawns to drive up the ratings for the reality show that the playoff is obviously becoming. To make us think for the last 4 weeks that we were in complete control of our own destiny is the most ruthless thing I can remember the media doing in sports

Disney is good a make TV shows. They created a male soap opera. Complete with all the drama and plot twist. Lol, joking but not joking.

 

[KPENN]

 

[IrishTusker]

Does them going to 9 conference games solve this moving forward? Should make it more difficult for five teams to make it through with virtually none of them having played each other.

Maybe the most optimistic take away is that this was a terrible year to field a great team...between the MOU not going into effect until next year and the SEC log jam and the ACC's broken CCG selection process getting exposed, a lot of what screwed us seems like it's going away (not that the conferences won't find other ways to fuck us).

The MOU isn't worth anything. Suddenly we're ranked 13 for no reason. But yeah, it was at least a bad year to field a great team that went 10-2: usually, 10-2 ND is in.

 

[MacIrish75]

Does them going to 9 conference games solve this moving forward? Should make it more difficult for five teams to make it through with virtually none of them having played each other.

Maybe the most optimistic take away is that this was a terrible year to field a great team...between the MOU not going into effect until next year and the SEC log jam and the ACC's broken CCG selection process getting exposed, a lot of what screwed us seems like it's going away (not that the conferences won't find other ways to fuck us).

Lol.

The cartel does what the cartel wants. It probably makes them more likely to go for more teams in the field.

 

[IrishTusker]

I honestly didn't think the UVA/Duke game would matter, because that wouldn't really affect how Miami or Bama compare to ND. But if you suppose that it's not about Miami but about the ACC -and CFP payouts- then yeah, collusion (with the SEC, to secure Bama's spot) is the obvious answer here. Could there be a future 30 for 30 about this? Lol, oh wait, ESPN owns that too. Maybe in 50 years.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Does them going to 9 conference games solve this moving forward? Should make it more difficult for five teams to make it through with virtually none of them having played each other.

Maybe the most optimistic take away is that this was a terrible year to field a great team...between the MOU not going into effect until next year and the SEC log jam and the ACC's broken CCG selection process getting exposed, a lot of what screwed us seems like it's going away (not that the conferences won't find other ways to fuck us).

I think we will be looking at the exact same arguments that unfolded here, 3 losses be damned. If you continue to prop up teams like Missouri, Tennessee, etc and inflate SoS and SoR, they will point to that and claim superiority despite the record. No possible way to dispute BTW, since it is circular.

 

[peadeam]

I honestly didn't think the UVA/Duke game would matter, because that wouldn't really affect how Miami or Bama compare to ND. But if you suppose that it's not about Miami but about the ACC -and CFP payouts- then yeah, collusion (with the SEC, to secure Bama's spot) is the obvious answer here. Could there be a future 30 for 30 about this? Lol, oh wait, ESPN owns that too. Maybe in 50 years.

I think that’s why this has made us all so angry. This feels way worse than any ND loss I’ve experienced. Not only did we get pushed out but we all realized at the same time that it’s all a farce. I’m not stupid, I knew the seeding were being manipulated etc but to conjure up a plan to ensure the ACC is included and give safety nets two weeks ago is diabolical and has ruined the entire sport for me. College football is something Ive looked forward to for 3/4 of every year since 1987 and now I don’t think I can stomach watching another minute this year. Unreal

 

[Rasputin]

I get loving a team like most of us do with ND but the hate is just... I mean like frothing at the mouth.. political.. and the university is all class.. Lord did they all hate are run last year.. was all a mask saying how much they liked Freeman... just unreal

Understand this. While the attacks Sunday and yesterday regarding Notre Dame declining the bowl bid are focussed on Notre Dame on the surface, the larger, more subtle message is to the rest of college football. The ESPN message is clear "Miss the playoffs and decline one of our lesser bowl bids and we will come after you with every TV personality we've got."

They are going to lash out if you hurt their bottom line. This is a threat to ESPN's control of college football so they are using their bully pulpit. They are working overtime to prevent other schools from doing what Notre Dame just did because it is going to collapse the non-playoff bowl system. They are trying to embarrass Notre Dame to show every other school this is what's in store for them if they follow ND's lead.

Notre Dame is the only school with the national platform and moral fibre to call out ESPN's supremacy over college football. ESPN is under attack, and it's on Notre Dame's terms. ESPN is scared.

 

[stlnd01]

Understand this. While the attacks Sunday and yesterday regarding Notre Dame declining the bowl bid are focussed on Notre Dame on the surface, the larger, more subtle message is to the rest of college football. The ESPN message is clear "Miss the playoffs and decline one of our lesser bowl bids and we will come after you with every TV personality we've got."

They are going to lash out if you hurt their bottom line. This is a threat to ESPN's control of college football so they are using their bully pulpit. They are working overtime to prevent other schools from doing what Notre Dame just did because it is going to collapse the non-playoff bowl system. They are trying to embarrass Notre Dame to show every other school this is what's in store for them if they follow ND's lead.

Notre Dame is the only school with the national platform and moral fibre to call out ESPN's supremacy over college football. ESPN is under attack, and it's on Notre Dame's terms. ESPN is scared.

I read something yesterday that conference tie-ins deals for all the non-CFP bowls are ending soon (possibly as soon as this year).
Negotiating new ones is on hold while they sort out the next playoff expansion. Those games, while "meaningless" are actually pretty valuable programming for ESPN on what is otherwise a pretty slow time in the sports world. And we (and a bunch of other teams that declined the Birmingham Bowl) just turned them to get lost.
So, yes, we have leverage right now.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Fuck over teams like ND and BYU, they can be mad and do a little saber rattling, but at the end of the day, they are faith based institutions that won’t crawl into the sewer for a shit fight, and will always keep it PG rated.

We live in a society where the most petulant, vulgar and loud get their way, and this outcome was a pretty good example of that.


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[FWIrish4]

Understand this. While the attacks Sunday and yesterday regarding Notre Dame declining the bowl bid are focussed on Notre Dame on the surface, the larger, more subtle message is to the rest of college football. The ESPN message is clear "Miss the playoffs and decline one of our lesser bowl bids and we will come after you with every TV personality we've got."

They are going to lash out if you hurt their bottom line. This is a threat to ESPN's control of college football so they are using their bully pulpit. They are working overtime to prevent other schools from doing what Notre Dame just did because it is going to collapse the non-playoff bowl system. They are trying to embarrass Notre Dame to show every other school this is what's in store for them if they follow ND's lead.

Notre Dame is the only school with the national platform and moral fibre to call out ESPN's supremacy over college football. ESPN is under attack, and it's on Notre Dame's terms. ESPN is scared.

Here’s the ESPN app today. Absolutely pathetic garbage.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

I read something yesterday that conference tie-ins deals for all the non-CFP bowls are ending soon (possibly as soon as this year).
Negotiating new ones is on hold while they sort out the next playoff expansion. Those games, while "meaningless" are actually pretty valuable programming for ESPN on what is otherwise a pretty slow time in the sports world. And we (and a bunch of other teams that declined the Birmingham Bowl) just turned them to get lost.
So, yes, we have leverage right now.

This is the way.

Every bowl bids on teams, teams shop around for highest offer, best deal

Rutgers goes 6-6 and gets no bids, who cares. Fuck them. Thanks for playing.


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[Veritate Duce Progredi]

For my part, I refuse to put any of the playoff games on. I won't watch an incomplete playoff that was rigged. I blocked ESPN so I can't be lazy and go there for scores. I'm going to find new favorite sites to get updates/play by play when needed.

I'm never signing up for a subscription service for ESPN again. I'll buy Peacock (as terrible as it is) and I'll get what I need to watch most of the games. If a game is ESPN only, I'll find a way to watch without paying. My dollars mean absolutely nothing to them but this conflict of interest and collusion won't be rewarded. If you don't click the outrage article, it's just a dumb headline that doesn't generate.

I work hard for my money and I'm not going to support companies that do harm to what I love.

 

[sharksamardzija8345]

I honestly didn't think the UVA/Duke game would matter, because that wouldn't really affect how Miami or Bama compare to ND. But if you suppose that it's not about Miami but about the ACC -and CFP payouts- then yeah, collusion (with the SEC, to secure Bama's spot) is the obvious answer here. Could there be a future 30 for 30 about this? Lol, oh wait, ESPN owns that too. Maybe in 50 years.

Pablo Torre bout to find out

 

[LifelongFan]

It's so funny how the common refrain among CFB fans is, "what happened to the game I love?" "These superconferences are ruining the sport!" "ESPN is ruining college football!"

Then, ND is mentioned, and it's "JOIN A CONFERENCE!" It reminds me of a St. Anthony of the Desert quote, "A time is coming when men will go mad and they will see a man who is not mad and they will say, 'you are mad, you are not like us.'"


Yeah, I've lost a lot of respect for a ton of personalities this last month and change. So many of them just revealed themselves to be total hacks. And I truly believe the messaging coordination crosses over company lines and I saw a lot of "on3" and other types picking up on the lingo that was being filtered out and using it.

Back in the day they used to refer to the national champion as the "MNC" or "mythical national champion," because really, how could you ever truly find the best team, the champion of entire sport? The playoffs were supposed to correct that, but I'm back on board with this. This is a farce and just a mere reality TV show and network driven invitational. Now, I still want to win one, but really all you can ever truly count imo is the regular season. As Freeman says, "12 guaranteed opportunities." Everything else is a Real Housewives franchise for men.

The average r/cfb "sicko committee" terminally online college football fan views the idiotic Poptart Bowl as a bigger tradition than independence or regional based conferences.

 

[Rasputin]

For my part, I refuse to put any of the playoff games on. I won't watch an incomplete playoff that was rigged. I blocked ESPN so I can't be lazy and go there for scores. I'm going to find new favorite sites to get updates/play by play when needed.

I'm never signing up for a subscription service for ESPN again. I'll buy Peacock (as terrible as it is) and I'll get what I need to watch most of the games. If a game is ESPN only, I'll find a way to watch without paying. My dollars mean absolutely nothing to them but this conflict of interest and collusion won't be rewarded. If you don't click the outrage article, it's just a dumb headline that doesn't generate.

I work hard for my money and I'm not going to support companies that do harm to what I love.

Every revolution starts with little acts of defiance. Refusing an insulting bowl bid. Cutting the cord. Stepping out of the line and asking "Why? Why are we doing this?"

It's so on.

 

[hungryhippo]

For my part, I refuse to put any of the playoff games on. I won't watch an incomplete playoff that was rigged. I blocked ESPN so I can't be lazy and go there for scores. I'm going to find new favorite sites to get updates/play by play when needed.

I'm never signing up for a subscription service for ESPN again. I'll buy Peacock (as terrible as it is) and I'll get what I need to watch most of the games. If a game is ESPN only, I'll find a way to watch without paying. My dollars mean absolutely nothing to them but this conflict of interest and collusion won't be rewarded. If you don't click the outrage article, it's just a dumb headline that doesn't generate.

I work hard for my money and I'm not going to support companies that do harm to what I love.

The Omar tagline feels especially relevant.

I’ve been grappling with similar thoughts. I love college football. ND football has been “the most important of the unimportant things” in my life long as I can remember.

Reflexively, I’ve gone to ESPN for years. And I don’t want to feed another click, dollar, or pocket of energy into them.

Anyone know who has quality sports world content on the daily? I just mean scores, injuries and roster moves, trades & free agency updates, etc.

 

[ozzman]

Stew and Bruce are wrong about no one saying anything about Alabama until the sec ccg, but this discussion is pretty good.

 

[FOTY977]

Here’s the ESPN app today. Absolutely pathetic garbage.

Thanks for reminding me to delete that shit

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

One of my least favorite CFB seasons in a long time. Not many upsets, very little chaos, a lot of lopsided games from week to week. I'd do those watch party threads every week and as I would compile them, I never felt very compelled to watch many games outside of Notre Dame. Indiana and Vanderbilt were stories, both led by QBs I find to be obnoxious. Albeit for different reasons. It all just felt very boring from a neutral perspective. For as much joy as I get watching Notre Dame, there was a time when I really enjoyed college football. Wasn't really the case this year, for the first time in a long time.

They're headed towards a super league. I don't think there's any question about it. There is nothing regional about conferences anymore, so I'm not sure what the point of joining one would be other than money. My hope is that whatever ND does it is for the benefit of the other men's and women's sports as well. Football cashes the checks and snaps the necks, but there are a lot of other good athletes and programs on that campus.

As a fan, my season is over. Absolutely do not care who wins the National Championship. Hope the ratings are shit and I hope more teams don't accept bowl bids. At this point, let it burn.

 

[MacIrish75]

One of my least favorite CFB seasons in a long time. Not many upsets, very little chaos, a lot of lopsided games from week to week. I'd do those watch party threads every week and as I would compile them, I never felt very compelled to watch many games outside of Notre Dame. Indiana and Vanderbilt were stories, both led by QBs I find to be obnoxious. Albeit for different reasons. It all just felt very boring from a neutral perspective. For as much joy as I get watching Notre Dame, there was a time when I really enjoyed college football. Wasn't really the case this year, for the first time in a long time.

They're headed towards a super league. I don't think there's any question about it. There is nothing regional about conferences anymore, so I'm not sure what the point of joining one would be other than money. My hope is that whatever ND does it is for the benefit of the other men's and women's sports as well. Football cashes the checks and snaps the necks, but there are a lot of other good athletes and programs on that campus.

As a fan, my season is over. Absolutely do not care who wins the National Championship. Hope the ratings are shit and I hope more teams don't accept bowl bids. At this point, let it burn.

I told my wife the only reason I might be compelled to watch is if my five year old son asks to watch. I’m not arranging my schedule or making time to watch any of these games intentionally.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

ND was going to obliterate Oklahoma. Ole Miss has no coach. A&M coin flip at best against Miami.

They were staring down Ole Miss at Georgia and then Georgia getting spanked by Ohio State. Now they guarantee 3x SEC in the quarterfinals it's diabolical.

Alabama got left out last year too, which I think played a role. They absolutely were not going to deny their darling again.

The good news/silver lining: The SEC, with all of their representation, will still likely lose this year. OSU and Indiana are so much better than everyone else in that conference, the exception being which Georgia team shows up.



Also: Noteworthy regarding the below tweet. Bussin With Boys is not owned by ESPN. Will has been pretty vocal for the last couple weeks about the shit that's going on. Everything I've heard anyways. It's funny how every Non-ESPN affiliated show is telling the truth.

Here’s the ESPN app today. Absolutely pathetic garbage.

ESPN is on a massive gaslighting mission right now. Avoid them like the plague and tell everyone you know.

 

[FOTY977]

I told my wife the only reason I might be compelled to watch is if my five year old son asks to watch. I’m not arranging my schedule or making time to watch any of these games intentionally.

Watch replays of classic ND games