The Notre Dame football team believes it's made its case for the College Football Playoff. The problem is, so does Miami, Oklahoma, and Alabama. While the Fighting Irish seemingly moved a step closer to locking up a bid with Boise State's Mountain West crown and Texas Tech's Big 12 blowout, there is still a chance they'll have to settle for a bowl game. Should that happen, reports have surfaced about where they'd go.
There isn't a single Irish fan who wants ND to go to a bowl game instead of the College Football Playoff. It would be absolutely infuriating, especially because missing out would mean getting bumped down without playing a game. Is it possible that Marcus Freeman and company getting a delicious consolation prize would soften the blow?
No. The answer is no. Still, according to Brad Crawford, if Notre Dame goes bowling instead of the playoffs, they're locked into the Pop-Tarts Bowl .
We'll likely see Notre Dame vs. BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl if the Fighting Irish are not selected for the College Football Playoff, a bowl source confirms to @CBSSports.
— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) December 6, 2025
Pop-Tarts Bowl projection emerges if Notre Dame is left out of the CFP
Should Crawford be correct, the Irish would face off against BYU. That would be an intriguing matchup for sure, considering the Cougars would have made the CFP if they could have found a way to beat Texas Tech on Saturday.
On the other hand, the Pop-Tarts Bowl would feature two teams that absolutely do not want to play in a bowl game. The tilt would essentially be a waste of time and effort for both programs who had much bigger fish to fry in 2025.
It would certainly be interesting to see who would suit up and who might opt out for Notre Dame if they do end up facing off against the Big 12 squad later this month.