The College Football Playoff officially will expand to 12 teams in time for the 2024–25 season, opting for the long-rumored 5–7 model. With this plan, the five highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic bids to the Playoff, with the top four receiving first-round byes. The fifth-highest ranked conference champion will join six at-large teams as the Nos. 5 through 12 seeds.
This obviously puts Notre Dame, college football’s most notable independent program, in an interesting predicament. The Fighting Irish, who reached the four-team Playoff twice, now have more access than ever to the field. But barring a rule change or decision to join a conference, they won’t be able to attain one of those four coveted byes.
The new rule could wind up having a major impact on the program’s national title odds if the Irish find themselves missing out on a potential bye due to a lack of conference affiliation, but you won’t find two of ESPN’s most prominent personalities arguing on behalf of the Irish.
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During a First Take discussion about Notre Dame’s situation, both Stephen A. Smith and Paul Finebaum took turns burying the program’s standing in the college football hierarchy on Wednesday.
“What if Notre Dame is No. 1? Well first of off, that’s not going to happen. Marcus Freeman is a good coach, but they’re not going to be No. 1. But if they were, it’s their own fault!” Finebaum exclaimed.
“Notre Dame remains an independent, for what reason I don’t know. Remember when they lived off the ACC a couple of years ago [2020] during COVID? They joined the ACC for one season. And by the way, they got to the Playoff as a result. But instead of joining the ACC, of which they’re a member in every sport but hockey and football, they said, ‘We’re too good, you guys; we’re going to go at it alone,’ even though basketball and baseball and all those programs play [in the ACC].”
Finebaum reiterated that Notre Dame only has itself to blame for being in this situation, going on to mention that the Dallas Cowboys—a frequent First Take punching bag for their inability to win a championship—have won a Super Bowl more recently than Notre Dame has taken home a national title.
“As far as Notre Dame, cry me a river,” Finebaum said.
After Chris “Mad Dog” Russo agreed with Finebaum’s take, Smith got his shots in.
“I’d just like to throw out this question: You talk about you have no sympathy for Notre Dame. Why are they even relevant?” Smith asked. “Can somebody answer that question for me? The Notre Dame Fighting Irish in college football have not won a championship since 1988. … If my math is correct, that’s 36 years without a national championship.”
“Thirty-six years ago, I was graduating from high school. Had an afro. Hairline was two feet forward. Are you ready for this, Doggie [Russo]? You had just started with Mike Francesa on the FAN in New York City. That’s how long ago that was! That’s the last time these brothers was relevant.”
As Smith continued his rant, he went so far as to openly question why NBC has its famous Notre Dame television deal.
“Has anybody questioned NBC as to why you gave them this television deal. What have they done? What have they done?!” Smith asked.
NBC is certainly not giving Notre Dame its TV deal out of charity, and “relevancy” is certainly in the eye of the beholder. Only six programs made more Playoff appearances than Notre Dame in the four-team era, and the Fighting Irish are still a huge national draw. However, those Playoff appearances both resulted in blowout losses (to Clemson in 2019 and Alabama in ’21), and their trip to the BCS national title in 2012–13 resulted in a 42–14 beatdown at the hands of the Crimson Tide that was so bad it still gets mocked today (including by Smith and Finebaum on First Take on Wednesday).
With that being said, it is difficult to argue against the ESPN analysts when it comes to the 12-team Playoff situation. Reverend John Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame, serves on the CFP board of managers that approved the 5–7 rule.
It should be noted that although Notre Dame seemingly would be precluded from a top-four CFP seed and the accompanying bye week, the Irish also won’t have to play a conference championship game—something required of the top four seeds.
