Time for Notre Dame to join a football conference; that, or just shut up

So, Notre Dame gets snubbed on Sunday by the College Football Playoff, and decides to take their toys and go home.

Cry me a river.

It’s not surprising that Miami surpassed the Irish in the final rankings.

The simple reason for the committee’s decision was the head-to-head results.

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ICYMI

• Notre Dame snubbed: It wasn’t Miami, but rather Alabama, that took their spot

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The ‘Canes defeated the Irish in each team’s season opener, and both teams finished their season with identical 10-2 records.

So, the head-to-head comparison made it an easy choice.

Except, I believe it wasn’t about head-to-head; it was a message by the CFP committee the Golden Domers: join a conference.

Miami over Notre Dame was a case of Miami having the protection of a conference, and Notre Dame, despite its huge exclusive contract with NBC, facing the reality that: you can’t have your cake and eat it, too.

The Irish have stayed firm in their commitment to independence in football, while the rest of college football played along in permitting such nonsense.

Here’s why I believe the CFP committee omitted the Irish from the playoffs:

When Virginia stumbled Saturday night against Duke in the ACC title game, the conference was on the very edge of away from not having a representative.

Miami, with some help, saved the conference from that embarrassment.

While Notre Dame, with its 10 straight wins and huge national following, may have been the more attractive option, the Irish weren’t pressuring the committee – the ACC was.

This isn’t the first time there’s been a call for the Irish to join a conference, but now it’s louder than ever. To me, the CFP committee took the chance to ensure the message was heard.

And the Irish have only themselves to blame.

If Notre Dame had joined the ACC for all sports except football in 2013, the Irish probably would have won the conference this year, securing a spot in the 12-team CFP field.

The ACC is not without blame for this mess.

The conference gave Notre Dame a gift in 2020, when the Irish were able to play as an ACC Football member because the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted most other conferences.

The Irish were eligible for the ACC championship and CFP that year.

Notre Dame played Clemson in the championship game and lost, 34-10, but still secured a spot in the four-team playoff that year.

The ACC should have pushed the issue and insisted that the Irish join the conference then.

Currently, the Notre Dame brand appears to be losing some of its popularity, especially among CFP folks, who favor the SEC and Big Ten, and to a lesser extent, the other two Power 4 conferences – the ACC and Big 12.

Notre Dame has, on its own, enjoyed the luxury of having their cake, and eating it, too.

But that might be ending soon.

Being on your own clearly has its disadvantages – there is strength in numbers.

And the numbers, finally, may not be in the Irish’s favor.

And finally, somebody with power actually told Notre Dame, no.

Join the team.

Join a conference.