Pete Bevacqua reveals Notre Dame is assured of CFP berth in 2026 if Irish are ranked in Top 12

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua revealed there is language in the memorandum of understanding the program signed last Spring with the College Football Playoff that would guarantee an Top 12-ranked Fighting Irish would still be in the CFP field. The only caveat is that contract language doesn’t go into effect until next season’s Playoffs, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger.

Of course, it’s of little help this season after the idle Fighting Irish (10-2) learned it’ll miss the Playoffs after falling from 10th to No. 11 on Selection Sunday when the CFP selection committee elevated Miami to No. 10, thus qualifying for the final at-large bid in the 2025 College Football Playoff field. CFP chairman Hunter Yurachek pointed to Notre Dame’s 27-24 loss to the Hurricanes in Week 1 of the regular season for the Selection Sunday flip-flop, citing the head-to-head loss as the ultimate deciding factor.

A newsy wrinkle from Bevacqua: As part of an MOU signed last spring, Notre Dame is assured of a CFP berth if it is ranked in the top 12 starting next year.

If this year’s situation unfolds next year, the final at-large team (Miami) would have gotten bumped for No. 11 Notre Dame.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 7, 2025

That said, if the same scenario between Notre Dame and Miami played out next season, it would be the 10th-ranked Hurricanes on the outside of the Playoff’s 12-team field in favor of the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish, even if the head-to-head matchup still worked in Miami’s favor, according to Dellenger. And should the Playoff expand from 12 to 14 teams with additional at-large bids in 2026 or beyond, Notre Dame would still qualify for a guaranteed CFP berth if it’s ranked in the Top 13 on Selection Sunday, according to the MOU language per Dellenger.

Of course, that CFP memorandum of understanding with the Irish only works if future Playoffs keep their field at 12- or 14-teams. And, if discussions this Summer around the future of the CFP format is any indication, the Playoff is expected to expand to at least 16 teams, thus nullifying Notre Dame’s MOU.

Notre Dame declines bowl invitation after missing College Football Playoff

After learning its Playoff fate on Selection Sunday, the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish announced it was declining any bowl game invitations and ending its 2025 season at 10-2.

“As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” the program said in a statement. “We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”

Notre Dame lost its first two games of the season, falling to Miami in Week 1 and Texas A&M in Week 3 by a combined four points. From there, the Irish rattled off 10 straight wins, but headed into conference championship weekend squarely on the CFP bubble at No. 10 in Tuesday’s penultimate rankings.

But, after being idle on Championship Weekend, Notre Dame had the proverbial Playoff rug pulled out from underneath it when the Hurricanes leapfrogged into the No. 10 spot due to the Week 1 head-to-head win, bumping the Irish out of the CFP’s 12-team field on Selection Sunday.

Now, the Irish’s season is over. On3’s Brett McMurphy reported they were due to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against BYU.

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.