Notre Dame withdrew from bowl consideration because the team and university were upset about being left out of the College Football Playoff and chose not to play in any non‑playoff bowl this season.

Immediate reason

Notre Dame finished the regular season on a 10‑game winning streak and still ended up outside the expanded CFP field, landing just behind Miami and Alabama in the final rankings. In response, the program announced that if it could not compete for a national championship, it would decline all bowl invitations rather than play in a lower‑tier postseason game such as the Pop‑Tarts Bowl.

How Notre Dame explained it

In a public statement, the team said it had decided collectively to remove its name from consideration for any bowl game after the 2025 season and thanked families and fans for their support. The statement also framed the move as refocusing on trying to win a 12th national title in 2026, signaling an internal, long‑term motivation rather than concerns like injuries or logistics.

Underlying frustration

Athletic director Pete Bevacqua and others around the program expressed strong dissatisfaction with the CFP selection process, arguing there was no reasonable explanation for dropping Notre Dame behind other teams after the Irish had been ranked ahead of them for much of the season. The withdrawal has been widely interpreted as a protest against how the playoff field was chosen, rather than a routine competitive or financial decision.