Irish should be more like Horned Frogs

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what the Notre Dame football team did this past week. I can’t think of a kinder way to describe it except they are acting like spoiled brats and setting a terrible example for young athletes everywhere.
For those who have been on an island and haven’t kept up with the latest in the college football world, the Fighting Irish were left out of the 12-team College Football Playoff field when teams were selected on Sunday, Dec. 7. Instead, Miami – which has the exact same record – was selected instead of Notre Dame.
When it came down to Notre Dame and Miami, one thing stood out. The Hurricanes defeated the Irish 27-24 in the season opener in Miami. Hence, it makes sense Miami got chosen.
Granted, that was the lone victory over a ranked opponent all season for the Hurricanes, but it was a head-to-head tiebreaker. Personally, I think Notre Dame is the better team today, but when your schedule includes a handful of teams that lost eight games or more, it’s hard to argue your way into an elite field.
So, instead of accepting an invitation to play in a bowl game against BYU, the other team with a gripe about being left out, the Irish decided to decline and declare an early end to their season. While that is certainly their right, it’s nothing short of shameful.
BYU opted to play in the Pop Tarts Bowl against Georgia Tech. Kudos to the Cougars for showing class.
By the way, if anyone indeed has the right to feel cheated, it was BYU, not the Irish.
If this all sounds familiar, it’s because a similar thing happened to TCU back in 2014 – only it was much more egregious.
The Horned Frogs entered the final week of the regular season ranked No. 3 after defeating Iowa State 55-3 to improve to 11-1. Remember, this was a time when only four teams were invited to the CFP – in fact, it was the first year for that format.
However, the Big 12 did not have a conference championship game at that time. So, by not playing during conference championship week, TCU somehow fell to No. 6 when the committee made its final selection. Instead, they put in Ohio State, who, to the Buckeyes’ credit, did go on to win the national championship.
Nonetheless, the Horned Frogs had a much more legitimate gripe than the Irish do now. And what did they do?
Well, they didn’t pout and stay home. They didn’t threaten legal action like Florida State did in 2023.
Instead, TCU whupped Ole Miss 42-3 in the Peach Bowl.
Georgia, after being left out in 2023 after losing to Alabama in the SEC title game, did the same. They defeated a depleted Florida State squad (which could have taken the same approach after feeling snubbed despite being 13-0, but chose not to) 63-3 in the Orange Bowl.
The Frogs and Bulldogs sent the same message to the committee and football fans. They belonged among the best four teams. And, given the opportunity, I would not have bet against them winning it all.
In addition to sending a message, TCU and Georgia honored the players, particularly the seniors, who had brought them greatness those seasons by giving them one final game. Notre Dame is denying their players, again most notably the seniors, of their final moment to shine.
No player on Notre Dame likely thought their 49-20 victory against Stanford on Nov. 29 would be the final game of their college career. They deserved more.
Would Notre Dame have been dangerous in the CFP this season? Without question. But being selected includes the entire body of work throughout the season.
Notre Dame played two top-10 teams and was 0-2 in those games. Sure, they were close, but in the final tally you have to have beaten somebody (see Alabama’s resume) – unless you’re a Group of Five member, and that’s a totally different argument.
Part of athletics is showing players how to accept defeat as well as winning. At least it should be – and I believe it still is among most top-notch programs.
Texas, which has a greater argument than Notre Dame (and Miami, for that matter) concerning an invitation to the CFP, was also left out. Instead of sulking, they are going to face Michigan in the Citrus Bowl and try to join the likes of TCU in 2014 and Georgia in 2023 in trying to prove the committee wrong.
Notre Dame had one of the nation’s best football teams on the field this season, even if they weren’t worthy of a spot in the CFP. As for off the field, the recent behavior of the program ranks them at the bottom.