As we close the book on another Notre Dame football season, I keep coming back to one unavoidable conclusion: at the end of the season, Notre Dame was one of the best teams in the country. Hands down.
This team lost its first two games by a combined four points. Four. Then they turned around and won 10 straight games, many by wide margins, improving week after week, finding their identity, and playing their best football when it mattered most. This wasn’t a team limping toward the finish line—this was a team peaking. And they were poised for a legitimate playoff run.
Which makes what happened next all the more frustrating.
Let’s be honest: the playoff committee failed to select the 12 best teams. And the proof came quickly. Watching how Tulane and James Madison performed only reinforced what many of us already knew—the process is broken. If conference championship games want to continue, fine. Keep them. But those games should not determine playoff access.
Take the 12 best teams. Period. Expand to 16 if you want. I truly don’t care about the number—I care about fairness and credibility. Just don’t do this again.
And while we’re at it, let’s address a few other things that continue to be misunderstood or flat-out ignored.
Notre Dame’s independence is an advantage—not a liability. It allows for national scheduling, varied styles of play, and week-to-week tests that conference silos simply don’t provide. Independence isn’t the problem. The refusal to properly evaluate it is.
Margin of victory should matter more than “brand losses.” Dominating opponents—especially late in the season—tells you far more about a team than an early, narrow loss against a ranked name. Style points shouldn’t be everything, but pretending they don’t matter at all is disingenuous.
And perhaps most importantly: late-season Notre Dame is far better than early-season Notre Dame. That’s not new. It’s a pattern. And yet, year after year, the committee weighs September performances more heavily than November dominance—completely ignoring who a team actually is when the stakes are highest.
Looking ahead, there’s plenty to like.
Adding BYU in 2026–27 is a terrific move. It strengthens the schedule and gives us a genuinely fun home-and-away series—exactly the kind of matchup Notre Dame should be pursuing.
Opening the 2026 season at home against Rice? I love it. We’ve seen how much there is to lose by opening against a top-10 opponent—and how little there is to gain. Starting against a team like Rice is smart, strategic scheduling. Build momentum. Build confidence. Keep doing that.
And then there’s USC.
If USC truly doesn’t want to play Notre Dame, then stop fighting to keep them. Let them go for a few years. And when they inevitably come crawling back, put them on the schedule where they belong—November. In South Bend. Enough with the hand-wringing. Quit being pansies and play some real football.
So now I’ll turn it over to you.
Which games are you most looking forward to next year?
Lambeau? Foxborough? BYU? Miami? Something else already circled on your calendar?
As always, thank you—for reading, for commenting, for sharing memories, and for being part of this community week after week. I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, a wonderful 2026, and another season full of moments worth remembering.
Cheers & GO IRISH!
