The Notre Dame Fighting Irish controversially opted not to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against the BYU Cougars in December. The decision came after coach Marcus Freeman’s team was bumped from a spot in the College Football Playoff by the Miami Hurricanes on Selection Sunday.
What Did Jeremiyah Love Say to Address Notre Dame’s Bowl Snub?
The Fighting Irish’s decision caused widespread discourse on whether they were justified or not, even as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets took their spot in the bowl game.
During Saturday’s segment of the “Yahoo Sports” podcast, Love spoke about the Fighting Irish’s controversial decision to snub the Pop-Tarts Bowl in December.
“It wasn’t more of a coach Freeman decision, it was an everyone decision,” Love said. “Our captains had the final say so, but our captains made sure that they talked to every player and got their input. In the end, a result of that was not to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. I wasn’t probably gonna play in the bowl game anyway.
“As a team, I definitely agree with the decision. Because going into that game, if we decided to play, it wouldn’t have been the right representation of that team. Of how great that team was. A lot of starters probably would have opted out. Guys who are going to the league or transferring.”
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The Pop-Tarts bowl game pitting the Fighting Irish against the Yellow Jackets became the most-watched non-playoff and non–New Year’s Six bowl game in six years with 8.7 million viewers.
Marcus Freeman Rubberstamps Notre Dame’s Bowl Decision
In a clip from the “Here Come The Irish” segment in January, Freeman rubberstamped the team’s captains deciding to snub the Pop-Tarts Bowl despite the backlash that the Fighting Irish faced from fans and analysts after it was made public.
“You don’t have much time, after the announcement, to make a decision on a bowl game,” Freeman said. “The captains had already gotten together, talked with the majority of the leaders on the team with each other. And by the time we had a conversation, they had already knew that this question was gonna come up.
“But as long as y’all felt convicted and made it for the right reason, that’s why I agree with you. That’s why I agree. If I didn’t, I thought you guys just were mad and just, ‘No Coach, we’re not gonna do it because we’re mad.’ I wouldn’t have let you do it.”
Despite their abrupt end to the 2025 season, the Fighting Irish have been tabbed as a national championship contender in many circles ahead of the 2026 college football season, after retaining the services of Freeman, who drew interest from the NFL before restructuring and extending his contract.
