Notre Dame’s Playoff Snub and 2026 Rise | Syracuse Orangemen Football News

Notre Dame’s 2025 season was a wild ride—ranked sixth to start, they stumbled early but rallied with ten straight wins, including ranked victories, only to be snubbed from the College Football Playoff. The controversial omission led them to skip bowl games for the first time in years. Despite a dominant offense and defense, a razor-thin four-point loss margin wasn’t enough to sway the committee, leaving Miami with the final at-large bid. Now, with high expectations for 2026, Notre Dame sits third in ESPN’s Power Index, projected for 11+ wins, bolstered by a strong transfer class and key returns like QB CJ Carr and WR Jordan Faison. They’ve added two Ohio State transfers, reloaded the defense with Leonard Moore and new transfers, and Aneyas Williams steps in for the lost running back. Facing Syracuse on November 28th, the Irish are primed to prove the playoff committee wrong. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/6d5ced395f3165d5