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[QUOTE="FloridaCuse, post: 5603740, member: 8912"]
Cliff notes of this The Athletic article:

"Where Notre Dame's ACC, ESPN and opt-out angst stands one week after CFP selection day"

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6890795/2025/12/15/notre-dame-mailbag-espn-cfp-acc/[/URL]

The Lead: "You're not over it.  And that's totally fine."

ND Mailbag

#1 How is it appropriate for the head of the committee to direct members to re-watch the ND-Miami game?

Response: the final spot came down to ND & Miami.  Miami won that game.  The problem was stringing ND out for 5 weeks only to flip-flop the 2 teams in the final rankings.  It was ridiculous and cruel.  Not that it was wrong.  But ND deserved to know earlier.  If they had, they'd "probably be playing in a bowl game."

#2 What's the future for ND and the ACC?

Response: ND and the ACC no longer feels like a good marriage.  It isn't all bad.  ND benefits from the inventory of games.  But access to minor bowl bids no longer is a sweetener.  The ACC hasn't figured out how to have more ND games the top ACC teams.  The ACC and ND were growing apart before this.  It's hard to see them sticking together in the long run.  It feels like there will be a divorce.  The question is when and how much does it cost.

#3 How much influence did ESPN have on the decision to leave ND out?

Response:  No way to know.  But ESPN would have benefitted by having ND in the CFP.

#4  Who decided that ND wouldn't play in a bowl game?  Did the players vote?

Response:  There was no player vote.  The captains were consulted and the position coaches consulted their players.  Some said no.  Some said yes.  And some said we're for whatever the whole team wants.  In the end the decision was made by Marcus Freeman.  But note the AD said: "the team didn't want to put out a product that didn't respresent the program".  Given all of the opt outs that would have happened it would have been "a knock-off of Notre Dame football".   [In other words, they didn't want to get beat by BYU.]
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