Notre Dame began the 2025 college football season 0-2, losing narrowly to national championship finalist Miami, 28-26, and Texas A&M, 41-40. The Fighting Irish then won 10 straight games but were passed over by the College Football Playoff selection committee and chose not to participate in bowl games.
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame Move On From the College Football Playoff Snub
The person most deeply affected by the snub was Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, who had guided his team to the national championship game the previous year, only to lose to eventual champion Ohio State. Reflecting on the setback during his appearance on Monday’s episode of “College GameDay,” Freeman explained that it took him and his team 24 hours to absorb the news and begin moving forward.
“Well, I think at first when you find out, you’re disappointed,” Freeman said. “Because you get in front of your team and you don’t have the answers for why.”
Despite ranking No. 11 in the AP Top 25 poll, the Fighting Irish missed out on the College Football Playoff. They were replaced by James Madison and Tulane, who each lost heavily in the first round to Oregon and Ole Miss, respectively.
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Freeman recalled starting the new season by telling his team to “leave no doubt” next year, a phrase that quickly became their mantra. He brought that message with him when appearing on CollegeGameDay prior to the CFP national championship game between Indiana and Miami.
“I remember our first team meeting we just had for 2026. My message was, it’s up to us to leave no doubt. We left doubt. We lost by four or five points in the first two games. We left doubt. It’s our job to make sure we leave no doubt,” he said.
Marcus Freeman says he got over Notre Dame being left out of the College Football Playoff within 24 hours. He quickly turned his focus to 2026 and the Fighting Irish’s motto for this year — “leave no doubt.”
That earned a handshake from @KirkHerbstreit. pic.twitter.com/g1gJJuhY62
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) January 19, 2026
The 40-year-old coach pointed out that the team was confident it would make the playoffs with those wins and believed it deserved to be ahead of Miami and Alabama in the selection process, but it did not happen.
“The day we found out, the response was one thing. But after 24 hours, the ability to get in front of your team and say, ‘You know what? We have to move forward,'” he said.
Freeman then analyzed both Miami and Indiana ahead of the championship, breaking down film and emphasizing the importance of making star quarterbacks uncomfortable, which he said is key to winning big games.
“For me, it’s whose defense can make the opposing QB uncomfortable. That means with, yes, four-man pressure, five-man pressure. But who can show something pre-snap and make that quarterback hold it for at least a half a second,” the former NFL linebacker said. “Now that dominant D-line can get to the quarterback. So that’s my key.”
Freeman’s new mantra signals Notre Dame’s motivation entering 2026, as the program aims to prove it belongs among the nation’s elite next season.
