Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff snub has sparked a national debate, and Stephen A. Smith didn’t hesitate to lay out why he believes the committee leaned toward Miami over Marcus Freeman’s team.
Miami and Notre Dame finished with similar records, and Miami also held the head-to-head advantage after beating the Irish earlier in the year. But Smith’s focus went deeper than a single result.
On First Take, he pointed to Notre Dame’s independence as a key factor the playoff committee couldn’t overlook. He acknowledged the run Marcus Freeman engineered, ten straight wins after a 0–2 start, with dominant margins that made Notre Dame one of the hottest teams in the country.
But in Smith’s view, that surge wasn’t enough to offset the disadvantages of being unaffiliated with a conference. He emphasized that while other contenders were battling through championship games, Notre Dame was at home with no chance to strengthen its resume.
“Notre Dame prides itself on its independence,” Smith said. “They’re all about making that money as an independent and not associating with a conference. I don’t think you get rewarded because Alabama is playing in an SEC championship game and you were sitting at home. Had they been playing, it would’ve been different, and I think they would’ve been in the playoffs.”
Alabama and Miami, despite their own flaws, had conference titles on the line. Notre Dame did not. Smith argued that a program choosing to operate independently shouldn’t expect the same end-of-season reward as teams that must survive an additional high-pressure stage.
In his eyes, the CFP selection came down not just to wins but to the structure of the sport, and Notre Dame’s inability to present a final, defining data point worked against them.
Marcus Freeman Believed His Team Was Ready for the CFP
Before the national debate unfolded, Marcus Freeman was convinced his team belonged in the playoff field. He noted that Notre Dame’s improvement throughout the season was as dramatic as any program in the country.
From midseason onward, he felt they were playing at a level comparable to the top contenders and had built a resume worthy of consideration. Their unbeaten run and winning games by an average of 29.7 points back that claim.
Freeman also pointed to the roster itself, believing they had the best overall player in college football and that their late-season performance reflected that talent.
“We have improved as much as anybody in the country, been playing as well as anybody in the country and we have, in my opinion, the best player in the country,” Freeman said. “That’s what you want. You want the best teams in the country now. Who’s the best teams for the playoffs right now? I truly believe we’re one.”
For him, the final weeks of the season weren’t just about momentum, they were proof that Notre Dame had evolved into one of the four strongest teams available.
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