When Notre Dame found itself on the outside looking in when the College Football Playoff field was announced in December 2025, the disappointment was real. A team that had seemingly done enough to earn a spot was left out in favor of a three-loss Alabama and a two-loss Miami squad-both with resumes that, on paper, featured blemishes that looked worse than Notre Dame’s.
But if you thought the Irish were pounding the table, demanding a spot over those two programs, think again. Head coach Marcus Freeman made it clear during an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay ahead of the National Championship: it wasn’t about feeling entitled. It was about the expectations set by the rankings leading up to that final reveal.
“This was never a situation where we deserved to be in the playoffs in front of Miami or Alabama or anything like that,” Freeman said. “It was, okay, the rankings show if we continue to win in the fashion that we were winning, it looks like we are going to make the playoffs, and we didn’t.”
That’s a key distinction. Notre Dame wasn’t claiming injustice-they were reacting to a sharp left turn after five straight weeks of being in the projected field.
The Irish had done what they were supposed to do, at least according to the committee’s own weekly updates. Then, just like that, they were out.
But Freeman didn’t dwell on it. In fact, he says he moved on within 24 hours.
That’s not coach-speak-it’s a mindset shift. The focus now is on 2026, and the new team motto says it all: “Leave no doubt.”
That phrase isn’t just a catchy slogan. It’s a direct response to what happened in 2025. Freeman knows that in a sport where perception can be just as important as performance, you can’t afford to let the committee-or anyone else-have a reason to question your place.
“Our first team meeting we just had for 2026, my message was ‘it’s on us to leave no doubt,’” Freeman said. “We left doubt. We lost by four or five points in the first two games-we left doubt.”
That kind of accountability speaks volumes. Freeman didn’t point fingers.
He didn’t blame the committee or campaign for sympathy. He owned it.
And that attitude earned him a handshake on live TV from College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit, a moment of mutual respect between two football minds who understand what it takes to build a championship culture.
Now, the Irish turn the page. The 2025 season is in the rearview mirror, and no amount of debate will change the outcome.
What matters now is how they respond. And with Freeman setting the tone, Notre Dame is entering 2026 with a clear mission: don’t just win-win in a way that answers every question before it’s even asked.
Leave no doubt. It's more than a mantra-it's a challenge. And if the Irish embrace it the way Freeman has, they’ll be right back in the playoff conversation next winter, with a resume that speaks for itself.