While Notre Dame football is still dealing with the fallout from having the rug pulled out from under it by the College Football Playoff committee, athletic director Pete Bevacqua revealed a kind of "back door" MOU that could make it much harder to keep the Fighting Irish out of the CFP in 2026 and beyond.
Bevacqua was incensed on Sunday afternoon after watching his school get dropped in the CFP standings despite sitting idle this weekend. His anger stemmed from the idea that the committee had Notre Dame in the playoffs for the last month, but then dropped them on the previous weekend. However, the MOU the school got this spring would have bumped Miami, even with that head-to-head win over ND in the final rankings.
Ross Dellenger reported the details of this MOU, which was kept under wraps until Sunday, despite existing for several months. According to Dellenger, Notre Dame is assured of a CFP berth if it is ranked in the top 12 starting next year. If this year's situation unfolds next year, the final at-large team (Miami) would have gotten bumped for No. 11 Notre Dame.
A previously undisclosed CFP agreement would secure Notre Dame’s playoff access starting in 2026
The MOU even deals with College Football Playoff expansion. If the playoff is expanded to 14 teams and there are more at-large berths added to the field (from seven to nine), Notre Dame is guaranteed a CFP berth if it is ranked No. 13 or better.
Here comes the "but." Maybe even because of this agreement between the CFP committee and Notre Dame, there's been a lot of talk about expanding beyond 12 teams. However, the number that most people point to is 16 teams.
Should the College Football Playoff expand beyond 14 teams, the MOU isn't in effect.
The bottom line for all of this is that the Fighting Irish have built in a kind of back door for themselves if the playoff stays at 12 teams or takes a more modest step toward expansion.
Should the 16-team format become the law of the land, Notre Dame won't have that particular option. However, Bevacqua will have a seat at the table in expansion talks, and he'll find a way to get something similar agreed to for whatever format is accepted for the 2026 CFP.