Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman downplayed the College Football Playoff rankings after his team's 31-24 victory over No. 1 Miami on Saturday night, emphasizing that the Irish must control their own destiny. "We don't need to focus on it. We don't need to talk about it," Freeman said. "Our job was to leave no doubt today, and they did."
Last year's snub fuels motivation
The win served as a measure of revenge for the 2024 season, when the CFP committee moved Miami ahead of Notre Dame in the final rankings despite the Irish being ranked higher for five weeks. Notre Dame finished 10-2 but was left out of the playoff at No. 11, prompting the program to withdraw from bowl consideration. Safety Luke Talich said the team felt they "left it up to the judges last year" and were determined not to repeat that mistake.
Playoff picture improves
Under the CFP's 2026 selection protocol, a top-12 ranking on Selection Sunday guarantees a spot in the 12-team field. Notre Dame (8-1) raised its playoff chances to 92.7% according to CBS Sports projections. The victory marked the program's first win over an AP No. 1 team since defeating Clemson in 2020. The committee's next rankings will be released Tuesday night.
Schedule ahead
Notre Dame hosts Boston College (4-5) this Saturday, followed by a Nov. 21 matchup at SMU (7-2) and a regular-season finale at Syracuse (4-5). The Irish have won 12 consecutive November games, the second-longest active streak in the country behind Oregon's 13. Talich, who intercepted a pass and broke up a potential game-tying touchdown, described every remaining game as a playoff game: "You know, we kind of put ourselves in situations where we got to win."
