Notre Dame AD reacts to CFP snub: ‘Playoff was stolen from our student-athletes’
By David Wasson
Published:
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were the first team left out of the 2025 College Football Playoff bracket when it was released Sunday, and Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua pulled no punches in addressing the exclusion.
“My feelings and the feelings here are just shock and, really, an absolute sense of sadness for our student-athletes,” Bevacqua told Yahoo Sports. “Overwhelming shock and sadness. Like a collective feeling that we were all just punched in the stomach.”
Notre Dame (10-2) finished the regular season with a 10-game winning streak, but as an independent did not play in a conference championship game. The Fighting Irish ultimately slotted below Miami in the final CFP rankings because of the Hurricanes’ 27-24 victory on Aug. 31 – running contrary to the CFP releases leading up to Sunday.
“There is no explanation that could possibly be given to explain the outcome,” Bevacqua said. “As I said to (coach) 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. 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.”
Notre Dame has yet to make a bowl announcement.
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.
