Since Notre Dame decided to skip the Pop-Tarts Bowl ( or any bowl), everyone in the sports world has felt the need to give their opinion on whether that decision was good or bad. Count former USC quarterback Matt Leinart among those who believe the Fighting Irish are making a real mistake in ending their season in the blink of an eye.
At the heart of the issue is that Marcus Freeman and his team felt like they needed to make a statement after being snubbed for the College Football Playoff. It's not that the Irish didn't make the field, but that the CFP committee essentially misled the school for weeks and then pulled the rug out from under them.
What a terrible look
— Matt Leinart (@MattLeinartQB) December 7, 2025
While some people in the college sports world have issued long diatribes about how Notre Dame's bowing out of the Pop-Tarts bowl has damaged the idea of bowl games forever, Leinart was far shorter and sweeter.
Matt Leinart's criticism of Notre Dame football is short and sweet
"What a terrible look," Leinart wrote on X.
As far as the situation goes, it's not hard to imagine a former USC quarterback would take time to bash the Irish. He might even hold some hard feelings for playing against Notre Dame. However, Leinart's comments don't hit quite as hard because he was actually a vocal advocate for ND in the lead-up to the final College Football Playoff bracket.
"The two best-case scenarios that could have happened for Notre Dame and Miami today, happened," Leinart said before the Big Ten Championship Game on Fox. "Both (Alabama and BYU) getting dominated. … I don’t think that Alabama deserves it. You talk about two teams right now playing their best football, Notre Dame and Miami should be in over the Tide."
Leinart is also not wrong. Even if Notre Dame has a point with how things turned out with the College Football Playoff, skipping bowl season is a "bad look."