Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua is not in favor of the Big Ten’s College Football Playoff proposal. Like commissioners from the Big 12, ACC and SEC, he supports keeping the number of automatic qualifiers at five.
As an independent, the Fighting Irish currently compete for one of seven available at-large spots in the 12-team format. The Big Ten is advocating for a 16-team playoff with four automatic conference qualifiers: four from the SEC, two from the ACC, two from the Big 12, one Group of Five team and three at-large selections.
“I happen to think that there should be automatic qualifiers for the Power Four conference champions, and there should be an automatic qualifier for the highest-rated Group of Five champion,” Bevacqua told The Athletic. “But then, whether it’s 12, 14 or 16 [teams], I think you have to earn it on the field. And those should be at-large berths. I think that’s the best way — the most repeatable way — to get the very best teams to compete for a national championship year in and year out. And I think most people agree with that. Both the decision-makers, the general public, football fans — I think that’s what people want to see.”
Notre Dame stands to benefit from the new seeding overhaul set to begin in 2025. Previously, the Fighting Irish could earn, at best, the No. 5 seed, without the possibility of a first-round bye, as the top four seeds were reserved for conference champions.
Now, the process is less rigid. Under the revised system, the top four teams in the selection committee’s final rankings receive first-round byes and advance directly to the quarterfinals. Last season, the top four highest-ranked conference champions received those byes, regardless of their overall ranking.
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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/why-notre-dame-objects-to-big-tens-college-football-playoff-format-irish-ad-wants-to-earn-it-on-the-field/
Author : Brad Crawford
Publish date : 2025-07-30 14:39:00
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