Michael Irvin condemns 'messed up' CFP selection process, cites Notre Dame top-12 guarantee

Miami earned the last at-large bid into the College Football Playoff this past season. Advancing all the way to the championship game, the Hurricanes certainly made the most of their postseason opportunity.

Despite Miami being put in the playoff, Miami legend Michael Irvin isn’t a fan of how the 12-team playoff is currently selected. As it stands, the top four teams receive a first-round bye with the top five-ranked conference champions automatically qualify. The rest are given to at-large teams based on the committee’s discretion, except for Notre Dame.

“The process is so messed up, because everybody on that committee said they can ‘clearly see’ that Miami didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs last year,” Irvin said, via FOS. “Who got to the championship game (this year)? Obviously, (the committee) don’t work right. Because they said everybody can ‘clearly see,’ is what they said. And you couldn’t clearly see because we got to the championship. You (the committee) were wrong.”

"Don't get me started with that damn [CFP] committee."@michaelirvin88 talks about the CFP committee and how it's handled Miami and Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/6BGFq5a11A

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 4, 2026

Irvin said his biggest worry this season is the stipulation now in place that would allow Notre Dame in the CFP if they were ranked in the top 12 in the final poll. No other team has this luxury, but at the same time, Notre Dame doesn’t have the same protections that teams in Power Conference have.

This past season, Notre Dame finished No. 11 in the final poll. An equal finish in 2026 guarantees the Fighting Irish a spot in the CFP. This season, however, the selection committee decided to place Miami into the playoff over Notre Dame despite the Irish having been slotted ahead of the Hurricanes since the playoff rankings began in November.

“This year we’re gonna promise Notre Dame a spot in? How can you be promising somebody something when it’s supposed to be a meritocracy? And we don’t have an uproar about that. Nobody saying, ‘break the committee. They shouldn’t be doing that.’

“That’s not right, because you’re cheating the kids who are working hard and thinking it’s supposed to be done on the football field. Don’t get me started with the damn committee.”

Miami is set to travel to Notre Dame on Nov. 7 in a matchup that could greatly impact the College Football Playoff race so deep into the season. This past year’s matchup came during the season-opener, where the Hurricanes came out victorious, which caused much controversy during the season when Notre Dame was ranked ahead of them.