The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were left out of the College Football Playoff after the committee chose the Miami Hurricanes and Alabama Crimson Tide over them. Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua is seemingly not happy, as he went off on the selection committee about their decision.
Bevacqua, who has been Notre Dame's AD since March 2024, called the process a joke. He blasted the rankings shows and questioned their legitimacy, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. Pete Bevacqua also claims he feels the College Football Playoff bid was stolen from the players.
“My feelings and the feelings here are just shock and, really, an absolute sense of sadness for our student-athletes,” said Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua. “Overwhelming shock and sadness. Like a collective feeling that we were all just punched in the stomach. There is no explanation that could possibly be given to explain the outcome.
“As I said to Marcus [Freeman], one thing is for sure: Any rankings or show prior to this last one is an absolute joke and a waste of time,” continued Bevacqua. “Why put these young student-athletes through these false emotions just to pull the rug out from underneath them, having not played a game in two weeks, and then a group of people in a room shatter their dreams without explanation? We feel like the playoff was stolen from our student-athletes.”
Nothing is confirmed just yet, but there is a belief that the Fighting Irish will play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against the BYU Cougars. It's a less-than-ideal situation for Notre Dame, as the program certainly believed it did enough to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.
