The Breakdown 49

• The Notre Dame Fighting Irish ended their season with a strong 10-2 record and a remarkable 10-game winning streak but were shockingly left out of the College Football Playoff, finishing as the first team on the outside looking in.
• Early-season losses to the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies weighed heavily against them, igniting fierce debates about the fairness of the selection process employed by the College Football Playoff committee.
• Commentators, including Paul Finebaum, criticized Notre Dame's reaction to the snub, labeling it embarrassing and underscoring the disappointment felt by fans and analysts alike.
• In a dramatic turn of events, Notre Dame chose to decline an invitation to play in a bowl game, a move seen by some as a bold stand against perceived disrespect from the committee, while critics branded them as cowards for not participating.
• The fallout from this decision sparked conversations on the influence of conference politics in college football, revealing how the dynamics of the Atlantic Coast Conference may have played a crucial role in Notre Dame's exclusion.
• Athletic director Pete Bevacqua expressed that the snub felt like a significant setback for the program, setting the stage for ongoing discussions about the need for reforms in the college football playoff system to ensure fairness for independent teams like Notre Dame.