Among the growing list of supporters for a 24-team Playoff, you'll now find Notre Dame.
Pete Bevacqua, athletic director for the University of Notre Dame, announces Pat Garrity as the new men's and women's basketball general manager, during a press conference at Notre Dame Stadium on Thursday, May 22, 2025, in South Bend.
| MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesThe program that has stood by its independence — even as conferences are becoming bigger and more powerful than ever — has leaned into what appears to be inevitable expansion. Notre Dame wants a 24-team College Football Playoff. At ACC spring meetings, I asked athletic director Pete Bevacqua to explain why. Last I checked, Notre Dame's decisions have never been 100% financially motivated.
If that were the case, a move to the Big Ten or SEC would've happened a decade ago. That story from The Athletic didn't frame Bevacqua's stance as one that was purely financial. He instead outlined the need for "hope" within the sport and how coaches have tenures that are defined by Playoff berths. Without hope, college football cannot exist, according to Bevacqua.
Sure. If that's what you want to tell yourself is going to help the future of college football, that's on you. Dare I say, a borderline Top-25 team that gets bounced by three touchdowns in the first round of a 24-team Playoff won't suddenly feel accomplished. Don't believe that?
We saw teams in the 4-team Playoff who made the field and still looked like they were lightyears away from winning a title. Fans can see through that. They should also see through Bevacqua's stance of aligning with the ACC instead of aligning with the SEC and ESPN, who are seemingly the last two parties who don't want expansion.
It can be justified as "the path of least resistance," when in reality, Notre Dame needs to be a bit more selfish here. It has a combination that only a handful of programs have. That is, an elite coach with an established brand who has already been a player in multiple iterations of the Playoff.
Yes, Notre Dame missed the 12-team Playoff last year and would've been considered a real threat to make another deep run had it made the field. ACC commissioner Jim PhillipsNo, that's not enough of a reason for a premier program to push for expansion. Find me a premier program who hasn't felt robbed at least once since the Playoff era began in 2014. It happens.
Life goes on. In the 12-team or even the 16-team Playoff, Notre Dame's independence is acknowledged. The new top-12 auto bid stipulation works in favor of the Irish with the current system. If the 5-11 model is used, that provides nearly a dozen at-large bids for Notre Dame to potentially earn.
Once upon a time, Bevacqua supported a 16-team Playoff. One can't help but think that he'd still be in support of that if it aligned with the ACC and others who have since pushed for the 24-team Playoff. Bevacqua's hope that an increased Playoff field will lead to more scheduling of elite non-conference matchups seems like just that — hope. It's not guaranteed.
At all. Also, Notre Dame's future schedule for the rest of the decade doesn't reflect a program in need of any help in that department. If anything, one could worry about the opposite reaction with an expanded Playoff. As in, teams would try to cancel a Notre Dame series knowing that there's upside in making the regular-season schedule more favorable for teams who hope to make a deep Playoff run.
Notre Dame has already proven capable of checking that box. It doesn't need hope, especially ahead of what could be itsin the AP Poll in 20 years. No longer is Notre Dame the program that had just three wins vs. top-5 teams from 2000-21 . Times have changed.
It's a shame that the Irish have sided with the party that seems insistent on instituting a postseason that's banking on hope leading to bigger paychecks instead of concern that it'll lead to declining regular-season interest. We don't know what the future holds for the potential expanded Playoff and where the Irish fit in. The Big Ten and SEC get final say in that argument.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Don't Sleep On How Big Notre Dame-BYU Will Be in 2026The midseason matchup between Notre Dame and BYU won't get the same billing as the Miami showdown, but it's going to have massive implications.
Read more »
UCLA Bruins lose offensive tackle commitment as Jackson Hill flips UCLA pledge to Notre DameUCLA football has lost its only offensive tackle commitment in the 2027 recruiting class, as Jackson Hill has flipped his pledge from the Bruins to Notre Dame. Despite choosing the Fighting Irish, Hill expressed confidence in UCLA coach Bob Chesney and the program's future.
Read more »
USS Ford returns home after 11-month deployment supporting the Iran war and Maduro's captureNORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world largest aircraft carrier, returned home to Virginia on Saturday after an 11-month deployment, the
Read more »
USS Ford returns home after 11-month deployment supporting the Iran war and Maduro's captureThe warship and two accompanying destroyers docked in Norfolk, Va., with about 5,000 sailors aboard.
Read more »