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December 8, 2025 By  Notre Dame Fighting Irish

‘Soft and Arrogant’: Fans Left Unimpressed As Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame Declines To Play Bowl Game After CFP Snub

Notre Dame, which finished the 2025 college football season with a 10-2 record, was among the top contenders that were expected to grab a spot in the 2025 college football playoff; however, the Fighting Irish were snubbed from their spot and were replaced by Miami.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Nov 1, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman, offensive lineman Joe Otting (64), safety Adon Shuler (8), defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka (44), quarterback CJ Carr (13) and defensive lineman Donovan Hinish (41) after the game against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images

Marcus Freeman’s team ended up at the No.11 spot in the final set of playoff rankings, resulting in it being the first one out of the 12-team bracket.

The decision to leave Notre Dame out of the Playoffs was a controversial one, as many believed they deserved to play in the Playoffs this year, which couldn’t be the case.

After being snubbed from the Playoffs, Notre Dame stated their decision not to play this year’s Bowl game and said that they appreciate all the support they have gotten from their families and fans and are hoping to bring in their 12th national championship in 2026.

The decision to keep their team out of consideration for a Bowl game drew a lot of criticism from the fans:

“This is a soft and arrogant way to embrace the consolation prize. And for a team like Notre Dame, that arrogance is exactly why you’re on the outside looking in. Join a conference — or keep dealing with consequences you’re not going to enjoy.” one fan expressed anger.

“Classless decision. You didn’t get robbed. The better teams got in. (Outside of Tulane/JMU) Join a conference. Play tough opponents. Beat tough opponents.” Another fan thrashed Notre Dame.

“Imagine ruining it for everyone because you’re emotional after scheduling a cupcake lineup all year and not earning a spot. “Why does everyone hate ND?” Welp.” another fan sarcastically wrote.

“The No. 11 team in the country opting out of a bowl game says the quiet part out loud: The big programs are CFP or bust now. Highly damaging precedent for a bowl system already clinging to hang on to relevance.” another fan pointed out.

“I don’t agree with this decision. ND was done wrong, but the kids should get a bowl game and the month of extra practice to improve for next year. We should stay classy in spite of ESPN’s attempt to force ND to join a conference.” another fan advised.
And sorry (not really), that was weak of Notre Dame to pull the pick-up-my-ball-and-go-home move. Not a good look. In football, young men are constantly told to fight through adversity, to handle setbacks and even, unfairness. Terrible example to set.” another fan added.

Jason Whitlock Thrashes the CFP Committee for Notre Dame Snub in 2025

Jason Whitlock expressed his frustration over Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame’s snub from the 2025 college football playoffs and took to X to share his opinion.
The analyst boldly said that the sport currently is obsessed with people wearing gold chains and acting as rappers, and if the Notre Dame head coach acted more like Deion Sanders, the committee would be like Colorado and would’ve gotten the No. 5 spot out of fear.
“Marcus Freeman needs gold chain, gold grill, Tatts and cornrows. Notre Dame would be in the tournament if he were a clown.” Whitlock wrote.
He then fired shots at Tulane and JMU and said that they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs and called the system a joke.
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About Prasen

Prasen is a sports writer at Gridiron Heroics. While he has a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, he couldn't resist his love for football that led him to explore the NFL landscape. Prasen has three years of experience writing articles. For him, providing historical angles relevant to the story is important, as gives the reader useful information and help them relate it to the present. He thrives to keep the content unique rather than just a bland reporting of facts. Fact-checking and researching relevant information as per the headline and context is of utmost importance to him. Prasen hates clickbait or misleading the reader.

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