First things first. Miami fans have an argument that the Hurricanes should be a lock for the playoffs if they win the rest of their regular-season games. They're also justified in their anger over winning head-to-head over Notre Dame and still potentially missing the College Football Playoffs. At the same time, the Irish are considered "in" by most analysts.
However, a new conspiracy theory that's started making the rounds on social media isn't helping Miami's (or Pittsburgh's) cause. In fact, it's making them look desperate. Perhaps most dangerous when talking about making the case for a specific team, those continuing to amplify this particular theory come off as people who are not ball knowers. And that's a big indictment.
Former political analyst and MSNBC News host Chuck Todd has become the loudest voice shouting this utterly ridiculous Notre Dame theory from the rooftops. The theory goes like this: Pittsburgh and Navy both sat their best players because they didn't care if they lost to the Irish. In fact he claims they "chose not to compete."
Notre Dame’s playoff chances SHOULD be in bigger trouble than Miami’s. 1) they lost to Miami (a game that was always in Miami’s control with misleading final). 2) They just faced two teams who chose NOT to compete at 100% (Navy and Pitt). They shouldn’t BENEFIT from not having…
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) November 16, 2025
Latest Notre Dame football conspiracy theory ignores reality of the CFP
The proof Todd laid out was that the Midshipmen sat starting quarterback Blake Horvath against Marcus Freeman's squad. The political analyst (who unsurprisingly hails from Miami) also claimed Pitt sat several starters, apparently missing the Panthers actually brought back one of their best defensive players after a month off due to injury.
Todd and the growing number of people in various ACC fandoms pushing this idea don't have logic on their side. Yes, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi offered up the idea that Notre Dame wasn't an ACC opponent as a reason he "didn't care" if his team lost. He's since clarified he didn't mean it, and he was trying to take pressure off his players.
But it's more than that. The Panthers' chances of winning the ACC outright are slim. They'd have a much better chance of squeaking into the playoffs as an at-large bid if they'd knocked off the Irish. Navy, meanwhile, can win its conference and still miss the playoffs quite easily. They needed to beat Notre Dame to have even the slimmest chance of being the G5 team to get into the field.
The idea that teams are "tanking" games comes from the professional sports leagues. But tanking on that level is all about getting a better draft pick. No team is sitting its best players in must-win games because they aren't conference games. That's simply not something that happens. It would defy logic. And in a 12-game college football season, every game is must win, even in the era of the 12-team playoffs.
One need only look at how desperate Miami fans are to get their two-loss team in over Notre Dame to understand that fact.