Notre Dame may be losing the goodwill of some athletic departments across the country on account of its grievance campaign.
According to a report by Dan Wolken of Yahoo Sports on Wednesday, “Athletic directors … are threatening to freeze [Notre Dame] out of future schedules.” The reason? Recent reports about Notre Dame’s preferential playoff access beginning next season.
Per Ross Dellenger, “As part of a memorandum of understanding signed by CFP officials last spring, Notre Dame will be assured of making the playoff if it is ranked in the top 12 starting next year.” Of course, had that been the case this year, the Fighting Irish would be in the 12-team field.
Athletic directors are growing tired of Notre Dame’s special treatment and don’t see much reason to help the independent earn a place in college football’s postseason.
Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua has made plenty of headlines since the Irish were left out of this year’s playoff field on Sunday. Most of his criticism has been targeted towards the ACC, which the Irish have had a scheduling agreement since 2012. Under the agreement, Notre Dame plays five ACC teams each year.
Those games, given the lack of quality teams the ACC has put up in recent years, haven’t exactly helped the Irish from a strength-of-schedule standpoint. And with the preferential treatment set to begin in 2026, other top teams have no desire to schedule Notre Dame. Not to mention, every power conference is moving to nine-game schedules starting next season, making it even harder to find openings on the schedule.
There is still some incentive, however, to keep the Fighting Irish on the calendar. As Wolken notes, “Notre Dame fills stadiums and drives TV ratings.” That kind of draw might be too much for some schools to pass up.
Regardless, the Irish’s snub and subsequent media offensive have created quite the dynamic for schools to navigate as they weigh whether or not to schedule Notre Dame in the future.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.