Notre Dame and its loudest defenders want you to believe skipping their bowl game was a principled stand. A message to the CFP committee. Integrity over compromise.
Don’t buy it.
It was a business decision that screwed the only people who actually matter—the players and the fans.
Here’s what happened: Notre Dame was ranked 11th. Miami was 10th. The final at-large spot came down to those two teams. They played head-to-head in Week 1. Miami won. That’s it. That’s the tiebreaker. Easy. Done. Move on.
If you want to argue that James Madison and Tulane didn’t belong, fine. But there’s a rule that says the top five conference champs get automatic bids. Those teams weren’t chosen over Notre Dame—the rules put them there. If you want to argue Notre Dame should’ve gotten in over Alabama, okay, maybe. But good luck bumping a two-loss SEC Championship qualifier with a harder schedule and better wins. There’s a sliver of an argument. Not much of one.
Notre Dame didn’t get screwed. They lost to the team that took their spot. And instead of handling it like competitors, they handled it like they were owed something.
What it actually was: Notre Dame didn’t want ESPN making a dollar off them if they weren’t in the playoff. That’s a financial play dressed up as righteous anger.
And who pays the price? Not the athletic director. Not the executives. Not ESPN.
The players and the fans. That’s who.
The captains voted to opt out. Great. But what about the walk-on who’s been waiting three years for meaningful snaps? The sophomore buried on the depth chart who wanted one more game to prove himself? The senior whose parents wanted to see their son play football one last time before hanging up his cleats? Did they get a vote? Did their voice count the same as the guys headed to the NFL?
And the fans—Notre Dame fans would watch their team play anybody, anywhere. A Tuesday night game against a 6-6 team in El Paso? They’d be there. They’d tailgate. They’d wear the gear. They’d get one more memory with their team.
Instead, they get nothing.
Notre Dame felt wronged by the committee. Fine. But welcome to life. You don’t always get what you think you deserve. The answer isn’t to take your ball and go home. The answer is to go out and curb-stomp whoever’s next. Make a statement on the field. Let the world see what they’re missing. Or give the young guys a shot. Use the extra bowl prep time to develop your roster. Treat it like a spring game with a trophy at the end. Instead, nothing.
But that’s not what happened. Notre Dame chose spite over competition.
And here’s the part that really bothers me: Where was this energy when Florida State got left out of the four-team playoff? The Seminoles were undefeated and got snubbed because their quarterback got hurt. Did Notre Dame stand in solidarity? Did they demand the committee answer for that one?
Nope. It only matters when it happens to them.
This isn’t just about Notre Dame. They’re a symptom. The whole system is broken:
Nobody’s in charge. Everyone’s grabbing what they can. And the only people who lose are the ones who actually love the game—the players who wanted to compete and the fans who wanted to watch them.
The bowl system is dying. Maybe it’s already dead. But let’s not pretend it died for noble reasons. It died because the people running college football chose money over the game.
The players and fans? Collateral damage. Always have been.
More Sports Takes:
Championship or Bust
Enjoy the Journey
The Wonder of Sports and Entrepreneurship
Eric Kasimov is the founder of SportsEpreneur, part of the KazSource media network. Since launching the platform in 2015, he has hosted over 500 podcast episodes, written and published more than 1,500 articles, and advised business leaders, founders, and creators on building authority through media strategy.
Through his brands — KazSource, KazCM, SportsEpreneur, and QuietLoud Studios — Eric leads teams that produce podcasts, develop brand platforms, and help companies grow through modern content ecosystems. He also scaled KazSource Insurance into a seven-figure boutique agency, providing the foundation for the broader media network he operates today.
His work has been featured in Forbes, Axios, and Front Office Sports, and his podcasts have included conversations with top founders, investors, and athletes turned entrepreneurs.
College Football Bowl Greed Has One Victim: The Players and Fans
Notre Dame and its loudest defenders want you to believe skipping their bowl game was a principled stand. A message to the CFP committee. Integrity over compromise.
Don’t buy it.
It was a business decision that screwed the only people who actually matter—the players and the fans.
Here’s what happened: Notre Dame was ranked 11th. Miami was 10th. The final at-large spot came down to those two teams. They played head-to-head in Week 1. Miami won. That’s it. That’s the tiebreaker. Easy. Done. Move on.
If you want to argue that James Madison and Tulane didn’t belong, fine. But there’s a rule that says the top five conference champs get automatic bids. Those teams weren’t chosen over Notre Dame—the rules put them there. If you want to argue Notre Dame should’ve gotten in over Alabama, okay, maybe. But good luck bumping a two-loss SEC Championship qualifier with a harder schedule and better wins. There’s a sliver of an argument. Not much of one.
Notre Dame didn’t get screwed. They lost to the team that took their spot. And instead of handling it like competitors, they handled it like they were owed something.
What it actually was: Notre Dame didn’t want ESPN making a dollar off them if they weren’t in the playoff. That’s a financial play dressed up as righteous anger.
And who pays the price? Not the athletic director. Not the executives. Not ESPN.
The players and the fans. That’s who.
The captains voted to opt out. Great. But what about the walk-on who’s been waiting three years for meaningful snaps? The sophomore buried on the depth chart who wanted one more game to prove himself? The senior whose parents wanted to see their son play football one last time before hanging up his cleats? Did they get a vote? Did their voice count the same as the guys headed to the NFL?
And the fans—Notre Dame fans would watch their team play anybody, anywhere. A Tuesday night game against a 6-6 team in El Paso? They’d be there. They’d tailgate. They’d wear the gear. They’d get one more memory with their team.
Instead, they get nothing.
Notre Dame felt wronged by the committee. Fine. But welcome to life. You don’t always get what you think you deserve. The answer isn’t to take your ball and go home. The answer is to go out and curb-stomp whoever’s next. Make a statement on the field. Let the world see what they’re missing. Or give the young guys a shot. Use the extra bowl prep time to develop your roster. Treat it like a spring game with a trophy at the end. Instead, nothing.
But that’s not what happened. Notre Dame chose spite over competition.
And here’s the part that really bothers me: Where was this energy when Florida State got left out of the four-team playoff? The Seminoles were undefeated and got snubbed because their quarterback got hurt. Did Notre Dame stand in solidarity? Did they demand the committee answer for that one?
Nope. It only matters when it happens to them.
This isn’t just about Notre Dame. They’re a symptom. The whole system is broken:
Nobody’s in charge. Everyone’s grabbing what they can. And the only people who lose are the ones who actually love the game—the players who wanted to compete and the fans who wanted to watch them.
The bowl system is dying. Maybe it’s already dead. But let’s not pretend it died for noble reasons. It died because the people running college football chose money over the game.
The players and fans? Collateral damage. Always have been.
More Sports Takes:
Championship or Bust
Enjoy the Journey
The Wonder of Sports and Entrepreneurship
Eric Kasimov is the founder of SportsEpreneur, part of the KazSource media network. Since launching the platform in 2015, he has hosted over 500 podcast episodes, written and published more than 1,500 articles, and advised business leaders, founders, and creators on building authority through media strategy.
Through his brands — KazSource, KazCM, SportsEpreneur, and QuietLoud Studios — Eric leads teams that produce podcasts, develop brand platforms, and help companies grow through modern content ecosystems. He also scaled KazSource Insurance into a seven-figure boutique agency, providing the foundation for the broader media network he operates today.
His work has been featured in Forbes, Axios, and Front Office Sports, and his podcasts have included conversations with top founders, investors, and athletes turned entrepreneurs.