Dick Vitale claims Notre Dame would have won National Championship if it had made CFP
By David Wasson
Published:
Dick Vitale made a career out of being a basketball broadcaster, but the long-time hoops maven waded into the college basketball realm Thursday with an opinion about Notre Dame – and the Fighting Irish’s theoretical chances in the 2025-26 College Football Playoff.
Vitale, who has called games for ESPN since 1979, posted on his X account that he felt Notre Dame not only deserved to get into the 12-team CFP field but would have been hoisting the trophy by the end of the proceedings.
“The more I watch these football playoff games I believe the @NDFootball team the latter part of the season which kept getting better with each game would have been the NATIONAL CHAMPS – yes @Marcus_Freeman1 you would have PROUDLY been holding the championship trophy.”
Notre Dame started the 2025 season 0-2, with losses to then-No. 10 Miami and then-No. 16 Texas A&M, only to rebound with 10 straight victories to finish 10-2. The Fighting Irish were then bumped out of the CFP field when the Hurricanes were selected as the final at-large team.
The Fighting Irish protested the snub by withdrawing from bowl game consideration, setting off a firestorm of debate about the bona fides of the Hurricanes, Green Wave and Dukes. Miami upset Texas A&M 10-3 in the first round, and then knocked off defending champion Ohio State 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
