IrishIllustrated.com Insider Irish Illustrated Insider: Notre Dame’s Polarizing Week off the Field
Dec 11, 2025
The hosts dive deep into Notre Dame's playoff snub, unpacking Pete Bavacqua's controversial comments and the fallout from his press conference. They discuss the implications of Notre Dame's independent scheduling and the potential of a 16-team playoff format. The panel also addresses the timing behind opting out of bowl games, and the impact of player injuries on decisions. Additionally, there's a look into recruiting strategies and portal predictions, alongside the future of Marcus Freeman as head coach. Historical season endings are revisited, questioning if the latest season was a success.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Fix Meaningless Conference Championship Games
- If a conference championship game result no longer matters for playoff access, consider eliminating the game or compensating conferences to avoid skewing outcomes.
- conferences should be compensated if they don't play a meaningless championship to protect competitive integrity.
Opting Out Was Reasonable But Poorly Timed
- Notre Dame declined a bowl because many key players were injured, considering player welfare and realistic competitiveness.
- The timing of the decision made it look reactionary and worsened public perception despite internal logic.
Upperclassmen Have Declined Bowls Before
- Frank Camarico recalled upperclassmen historically voting against lesser bowl games after big seasons, showing precedent for team-led bowl decisions.
- Notre Dame has a long history of teams declining bowls based on player sentiment and status.