SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – SEPTEMBER 10: Head coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on from the sideline against the Marshall Thundering Herd during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on September 10, 2022 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Notre Dame football will remain Independent in college football with the new playoff seedings announced last week. The college football playoff committee tweaked this year's 12 team college football format. Last year conference champions received favorable seedings and a first round bye. That meant two things: First, teams that barely got into the playoffs received a bye. Second, since Notre Dame does not belong to a conference they could not get a bye. Until now.
The new seeding process for 2025 will be straight forward. The college football playoff committee will choose the 12 best teams in America and and them 1-12. The top 4 teams will get byes and they no longer have to be a conference champion. That means Notre Dame is eligible for a first round bye.
It also removes, for now, the last incentive for Notre Dame football to give up its Independence and be forced to join a conference. They get to keep all their money from the post season. There is no conference to share it with.
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GOING NOWHERE
I am fervently against this by the way. Why do we have a set of rules for 133 division one FBS schools and a separate set of rules for Notre Dame football? It is time for that to end. The people in charge of playoffs and rules need to force Notre Dame to join a conference like everybody else and play by the same rules as everyone. The special treatment for Notre Dame is outdated and unnecessary, and frankly unfair to everybody else.
For more college football talk tune in each weekday to Craig Shemon and Company from 2-6 pm on ESPN Southwest Florida.
