Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua expresses disbelief and shock over the team's exclusion from the 12-team College Football Playoff, despite consistent top 10 rankings. The Irish felt they were well-positioned to make the field, but were placed No. 11, with Miami taking the final at-large berth after a Week 1 victory over Notre Dame. Bevacqua calls the entire process a 'farce and total waste of time', criticizing the rankings' impact on the team's morale. The CFP selection committee's chair, Hunter Yurachek, explains that Miami's head-to-head victory over Notre Dame on August 31 was a deciding factor, as the Hurricanes moved ahead of BYU in the rankings. Yurachek also notes that the committee members were encouraged to rewatch the Notre Dame-Miami game from Labor Day weekend to make a side-by-side comparison. Despite similar records and results against common opponents, Notre Dame will now wait for their bowl assignment, likely the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando on December 27. Alabama, which also pushed past Notre Dame in the rankings, stayed in the 12-team field after losing the SEC championship game to Georgia.
