Marcus Freeman had one final message for USC ending rivalry with his last Top 25 poll

Don't let Marcus Freeman fool you. He is a great family man, one of the best football coaches in the country and a wonderful representative of Notre Dame University. But he's also a low-key savage and that savagery came to the surface again with his final coaches poll.

Freeman made sure to put Notre Dame above Alabama, a not-so-subtle message after the Crimson Tide were chosen over the Irish for the 12-team CFP bracket a day after being blown out by Georgia in the SEC Championship Game for their third loss of the season.

Marcus Freeman saved his loudest message for USC

The fact that Freeman was one of 16 coaches that placed the Irish ahead of Alabama shows that he wasn't on an island with that belief. There are many people that believe Notre Dame was much more deserving of being in the playoffs than Alabama and that showed itself once the Crimson Tide got outside the SEC comfort zone and were run off the field by Indiana. 

Freeman was also one of 16 coaches that didn't have USC in his top 25 anywhere. The Trojans finished 21st in the coaches poll and, again, not everyone thought a 9-4 USC team deserved to be ranked. Especially after the Trojans lost their bowl game to TCU and only had one win all season against a team that was ranked in the top 25 at the time they played them (Iowa). 

There's also a chance Freeman was having another moment of savagery and sending a final salvo across to Los Angeles after the USC-Notre Dame series has temporarily dissolved. Both sides have blamed each other for the suspension of one of the longest-running rivalries in college football and any perceived slights will just add fuel to the fire when the Irish and Trojans clash again. 

But for now, all Freeman can do is put together his poll that reflects how he feels based on what he's seen and experienced. If one or more programs take offense to that, well, that's their problem.