Notre Dame legend Joe Theismann questions why Alabama got into CFP over Fighting Irish: 'It's so wrong'

The College Football Playoff bracket was unveiled connected Sunday and officials sparked contention erstwhile the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were near retired contempt lone having 2 losses – 1 to the Miami Hurricanes and the different to the Texas A&M Aggies.

Both the Hurricanes and Aggies made the tract of 12. Miami leapfrogged Notre Dame successful the last ranking contempt the Fighting Irish being successful the tract erstwhile the penultimate rankings were released. Neither squad had a league title crippled to play earlier the authoritative tract was released.

The statement implicit Notre Dame and Miami was 1 to beryllium had implicit the past fewer weeks. Who would get into the Playoff? Miami had the head-to-head wide advantage.

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Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish and NFL backmost Joe Theismann stands connected the sideline earlier the crippled betwixt the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Arizona State Sun Devils astatine Sun Devil Stadium connected Nov. 8, 2014. (Matt Cashore/USA TODAY Sports)

Former Notre Dame prima backmost Joe Theismann told Fox News Digital helium was successful "disbelief" erstwhile helium saw the Fighting Irish extracurricular of the bracket. He added that pundits talking astir the College Football Playoff are missing 1 question: How does a three-loss Alabama Crimson Tide squad get into the postseason?

"How could they beryllium truthful wrong? I conscionable find it hard to judge that you’re gonna enactment a three-loss squad successful the playoffs," helium said. "Miami going in? All right. Notre Dame should’ve been in. Now each of a abrupt you’re gonna crook the speech into head-to-head contention successful the archetypal crippled of the year? Well, what astir Alabama being bushed by Florida State the archetypal crippled of the year? Did cipher bring that up? Was that not portion of the conversation? I conscionable deliberation it’s truthful wrong."

Ultimately, Theismann felt atrocious for caput manager Marcus Freeman and the players that helium coaches and pointed to Notre Dame not having a atrocious loss.

The Fighting Irish mislaid to the Hurricanes and Aggies by a combined 4 points. Alabama, connected the different hand, was throttled by Florida State successful the archetypal crippled of the play and past mislaid to the Oklahoma Sooners by two.

Notre Dame QB Joe Theismann (7) successful enactment vs. USC astatine Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum successful Los Angeles connected Nov. 30, 1968.  (Walter Iooss Jr. /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

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Alabama made it to the SEC Championship, but mislaid by 21 points to Georgia.

"I consciousness similar I’m a idiosyncratic who tries to truly beryllium nonsubjective erstwhile it comes to analyzing situations," Theismann said. "Alabama being successful this makes nary sense."

College Football Playoff Committee Chair Hunter Yurachek, who is besides the diversion manager astatine Arkansas which besides plays successful the SEC, defended Alabama’s spot arsenic the No. 9-ranked schoolhouse during the enactment show. He said the Crimson Tide’s "body of work" was capable to get in.

"In spite of their show yesterday successful the league championship, they deserved to accidental successful that 9 spot," helium said.

Yurachek added that the committee flipped Miami implicit Notre Dame aft BYU mislaid to Texas Tech successful the Big 12 Championship, 34-7.

"Once we moved Miami up of BYU, past we had that side-by-side examination that everybody had been bare for, Notre Dame and Miami," helium said. "And erstwhile you look astatine those 2 teams connected paper, and they are astir equal, connected their docket strength, communal opponents, results against communal opponents, but the 1 metric we had to autumn backmost connected was the head-to-head."

Tulane and James Madison were the different league champions to get into the field. Duke, the ACC champions, were not selected.

Notre Dame decided to forgo an accidental to play successful a vessel crippled aft being near retired of the College Football Playoff. Theismann said helium had nary contented with the decision.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish caput manager Marcus Freeman (middle) leads the squad onto the tract to play the Pittsburgh Panthers astatine Acrisure Stadium connected Nov. 15, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)

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"Not astatine all," helium told Fox News Digital. "I respect and respect the decision."

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