Despite being inside the College Football Playoff rankings since the first set was released, Notre Dame football is headed to a bowl game instead of to Norman for a first-round game. Not only were the Irish ranked ahead of Miami every week, but they were ranked this week, when neither team played a game. And then, with both teams idle, the Hurricanes jumped two spots, to No. 10, while Marcus Freeman and Co. fell to "first team out."
While the media and the CFP committee have understandably argued plenty that Miami should get in over the Irish because of the head-to-head matchup, the fact that the Irish also lost a head-to-head matchup with Texas A&M got ignored, mainly. However, ND fans started pointing to that game again on Sunday afternoon as the real reason the team got left out.
More accurately, Notre Dame fans are pointing out the powerful argument they never should have lost that game in the first place. At the very least, the end of the game should have gone differently.
If this gets called and TAMU doesn’t then get the TD on 4th and goal from the 21:
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) December 6, 2025
Notre Dame is definitively in
TAMU may be entirely out over Miami and/or Texas
This one no call dramatically swung the playoff bracket https://t.co/TjMfYAGCbZ
One officiating blunder in the Texas A&M Game changed the course of the Notre Dame football season
On the last play of the game, Marcel Reed hit his tight end for a touchdown on 4th down inside the 20-yard line. While the pass was a good one and the catch impressive, more than a few fans noticed a very blatant hold by the Aggies' offensive lineman that wasn't called. Had it been called, and the play negated, it would have meant the CFP's No. 7 team would have needed to try and convert 4th and goal from the 21-yard line.
That same game involved Notre Dame missing an extra point just ahead of the game-winning touchdown drive. Had the Irish kicker converted the point, the game would have gone to overtime instead of ending on that touchdown drive.
Either way, Notre Dame gets another chance to win the game. These moments happen to plenty of teams over the course of a season. Execute one kick, one block, or one pass better in a game, and the season feels different. However, not every team is missing a shot at the College Football Playoff because the referees blundered spectacularly.