Paul Finebaum 'embarrassed' for Marcus Freeman after Notre Dame opts out of bowl game

Paul Finebaum didn’t hold back when reacting to Notre Dame’s decision to decline a bowl invitation following its College Football Playoff snub. Appearing on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, the SEC Network analyst called the move “a disgrace.”

He believes it reflected poorly on the program, its leadership and head coach Marcus Freeman: “Just simply a disgrace. It was a loser look. There’s no way of getting around it,” Finebaum said. “They didn’t get in and they took their ball and went home.”

Finebaum blasted Notre Dame for what he views as a self-inflicted predicament tied to its continued independence. He argued the Irish would have secured a conference championship, and Playoff berth, had they been part of the ACC.

“How many times do we have to say that Notre Dame plays with fire every time they take another year without a conference?” Finebaum added. “… If they had played in the ACC, they would have been in the ACC Championship Game. They would have won the ACC Championship Game, and they’d be off and running.”

‘They think the entire world of college football revolves around them, and they found out the hard way’

According to Finebaum, the Irish overestimated their national weight. They were reminded of their place when the committee chose Miami, which beat Notre Dame head-to-head: “They think the entire world of college football revolves around them. They found out the hard way,” he explained. “It came down between them and Miami, and guess what? Miami beat them on the field, and they’re out. Who cares?”

Moreover, Finebaum went further, saying Notre Dame never had a compelling argument for inclusion in the first place: “I don’t think they had any argument,” the ESPN analyst elaborated. “They lost the head-to-head. What win did they have on their schedule that they could crow about?”

In the end, Finebaum praised the committee for evaluating Alabama “objectively,” noting the Tide’s combination of the worst loss and the best win among the teams in consideration. Meanwhile, he believes Notre Dame lacked the résumé strength deserving of extended debate.

Where Finebaum turned most critical however was in how Notre Dame chose to end its season. He argued the Irish missed an important opportunity to grow and close the year with a meaningful performance, instead creating days of negative headlines.

“You go to the bowl and you have a good performance, you end your season on a high note,” Finebaum said. “… Instead, the conversation today all over the country is, ‘Should Notre Dame have been left out?’ and ‘Should they have gone to a bowl game?’ How do you win as an institution when you walk away?”

‘Petulant seven-year-old who didn’t get his way on the playground’

Alas, Finebaum said he’s “embarrassed” for Notre Dame as a whole. From athletic director Pete Bevacqua to Freeman, whom he has long admired, the ESPN analyst decided against biting his tongue. 

“If you’re a leader at a school like Notre Dame, which is supposed to stand for everything that is right, you don’t come off like a petulant seven-year-old who didn’t get his way on the playground,” he stated. “That’s exactly what they look like today.”

With the Irish officially opting out and their season already closed, Finebaum believes the long-term reputational cost may outweigh any short-term statement the program intended to make. Time will tell if that’s the case in the end in South Bend.