By: Matthew Weatherby
Ever since about 12:45 yesterday afternoon, Notre Dame and its fans have been under fire. While there have been many fans who have been hyperbolic in terms of where the team stood this season. At the core of their frustration, there is one absolute truth: Notre Dame got screwed.
A Miami Acknowledgement
Before I get into the case of Notre Dame, I want to preface that, at the core, I do not have a problem with Miami being in over Notre Dame. In fact, when you look at the numbers, it appears that the committee made the right choice.
But, much like with Lane Kiffin, it is not the decision itself. But, the process of how it was reached.
The Politics of it
The playoff was not designed to get 2 G6 teams into the field. As much as everyone loved the model of inclusion when the playoffs expanded, people seem none too pleased with it when it comes time for the final ranking, and their team is on the outside looking in. It felt like the committee was put in a spot where they could not exclude one of the power conferences. I am of the belief that if Virginia had beaten Duke Saturday, we would be sitting here talking about a rematch of the game played week 2 in South Bend.
But that last sentence plays more into the politics of this. While they are not supposed to care about rematches, and to an extent, they don’t. It is hard to believe that the committee didn’t look at that potential rematch and see their bracket consist of 3 rematches in 4 of the first round games. For reference, Alabama and Oklahoma are a rematch, as well as Tulane and Ole Miss.
It feels as simple as this: the committee has to answer to the conferences. It is the same reason that Alabama did not move after Saturday’s result. So an SEC championship game participant was never going to be punished for the extra game, and the committee couldn’t really afford to leave the ACC out.
Why Notre Dame fans should be mad
Notre Dame dropped two spots in two weeks. Surely they must have done something to deserve it, right? Wrong over the last two weeks Notre Dame went on the road and beat Stanford by 29 points. Ok the the teams that jumped them must’ve done something much more notable, right? Wrong again. Alabama survived against Auburn and got shelled in the SEC Championship, while Miami piled it on late against Pitt on the road and rooted for Duke in the ACC Title game. There was nothing to justify the movement other than politics and realizing they had messed up earlier in the ranking process.
You got the rug pulled out from under you, Notre Dame. Plain and simple. People are upset about Notre Dame not playing in a bowl game, and I get their point as well. But the committee failed Notre Dame because they failed as a group. If they had actually adhered to their OWN Guidelines that were created, then this wouldn’t be an issue. But Hunter Yurachek and whatever clown show that assembled in Grapevine, Texas, failed for weeks to do so. For weeks, no less.
The Committee’s Failure
These teams are supposed to be viewed in groups, and yet somehow, despite being in the same group as Miami for weeks, the committee failed to move them ahead of Notre Dame until the ACC was not getting a team in. If they do this correctly and again follow THEIR OWN RULES, then Notre Dame and its fans may not like it, but they would be more in the Texas and Vanderbilt camp in terms of the reaction.
None of that happened, so instead, you have two teams that did not play last Saturday swap places. All the while, Hunter Yurachek continues to make it up as he goes in every interview he does with ESPN. I mean, for God’s sake, when Rece Davis pressed him on the reasoning as to the timing of the switch and why it was Miami instead of Notre Dame, it was like he was reading it off a script.
This is where the anger should be. The room is full of 12 people who have to have next to no accountability for the decisions that they make on a weekly basis. There are no questions that have to be answered. You saw that throughout the weekend. Yurachek went on gameday and gave answers that were just a word salad that amounted to nothing. He followed it up with a similar performance yesterday after the rankings were announced.
No one will ever get peace on this process until there is some accountability from the committee. For as long as there isn’t any accountability, the committee can just kind of do what they please.
Notre Dame and Conferences
Notre Dame will not be joining a conference following this result. I know people have hypothesized that a result like this would be the breaking point for Notre Dame and that it would lead them to join a conference it won’t. They get a significant financial benefit from not being in a conference. Notre Dame also has an agreement where, starting next year, if they are in the top 12 in the final ranking, they are guaranteed a spot in the playoff. Kind of like a conference champion.
Notre Dame’s athletic director did say today that there has been some damage done to their relationship with the ACC. Which is understandable, considering it felt like they were running a presidential campaign against them getting into the playoffs.
Final note on the bowl game absence. People view it as pouting and weak. I think it is due to the way in which they were left out, along with the current college football calendar. Why would I go play in the Cheez-It Bowl when I can worry about recruiting, roster retention, and staff changes?
