Uncertainty Surrounds Notre Dame’s Iconic Football Rivalries as College Football Playoff System Threatens Traditional Matchups
For decades, college football has been a staple of American sports culture, with rivalries at the heart of its appeal. One of the most storied and iconic programs in college football history, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, has long been at the center of this tradition. The Irish are known for their independence, refusing to join a conference for most of their history while maintaining competitive schedules against some of the most powerful teams in the country. However, in recent years, the landscape of college football has undergone a seismic shift, particularly with the advent of the College Football Playoff (CFP). The CFP, designed to crown the best team in the country, has fundamentally altered the way teams schedule games, prepare for seasons, and view their own playoff aspirations. As a result, Notre Dame’s cherished rivalries are increasingly at risk.
The college football playoff was established in 2014 to create a four-team tournament that would decide the national champion. Prior to the CFP, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system determined the title game, but it was widely criticized for being subjective and leaving out deserving teams. The introduction of the playoff was meant to remedy these shortcomings by using a selection committee to choose the top four teams, who then play in a single-elimination format. While the CFP has succeeded in elevating the stakes of college football, it has also created a new set of challenges, particularly for teams like Notre Dame, who pride themselves on their independence and their commitment to playing a broad and challenging schedule.
For Notre Dame, the introduction of the playoff system has had far-reaching implications for their schedule, particularly when it comes to rivalries. The Irish have long had a tradition of scheduling high-profile games against top-tier opponents like USC, Michigan, Stanford, and Florida State, among others. These games are not just about competition; they are about maintaining the history and tradition of college football. Rivalries like Notre Dame-USC, one of the most heated matchups in the sport, are more than just games; they represent decades of history, pride, and community. Yet, as the College Football Playoff system continues to evolve, these rivalries face increasing pressure.
The biggest issue for Notre Dame in this new era of college football is the pressure to win games that matter for playoff contention. As the CFP has become the de facto way to determine the best team in the country, every game on a team’s schedule has become more crucial, and the margins for error have become razor-thin. In the past, Notre Dame could afford to play a more diverse and traditional schedule, facing rival teams that didn’t always have the same aspirations for playoff contention. However, in the CFP era, the Irish face pressure to prioritize games that will have a direct impact on their playoff hopes, and that means that traditional rivalries are sometimes at odds with the CFP system.
Take the rivalry with Michigan, for example. Michigan and Notre Dame have been bitter rivals for over a century, with their annual matchups often determining the course of both teams’ seasons. However, in 2018, the rivalry was put on pause as Notre Dame sought to schedule more games that would enhance their playoff chances. The decision was not made lightly, as Notre Dame fans have a deep emotional attachment to the Michigan rivalry, but it was made with the cold, hard reality of playoff contention in mind. With so much on the line every season, the Irish couldn’t afford to schedule games that might not have national implications. This shift has been a source of frustration for many fans and alumni who believe that the playoff system is taking away from college football’s rich tradition of rivalries.
Another factor contributing to the diminishing role of rivalries in the age of the College Football Playoff is the increasing dominance of conference affiliations. Under the CFP system, conference champions are given automatic bids to the playoff, and this has led many teams to schedule their games with an eye toward winning their respective conferences. While Notre Dame remains independent, most of the other top programs in the country belong to conferences and play a more predictable and structured schedule. For these teams, winning the conference championship is often the most reliable way to secure a spot in the playoff, and the focus on conference matchups has, to some degree, relegated non-conference games, including historic rivalries, to a secondary status.
For example, Notre Dame’s rivalry with Stanford has also been affected by this dynamic. Stanford, once a team that Notre Dame could count on as a competitive but non-playoff-bound opponent, is now a team that is more often a playoff contender themselves. As the stakes of the season increase, the Irish may find themselves facing tougher scheduling decisions. Do they prioritize a non-conference rivalry game against Stanford, or do they opt for a more strategically important matchup that might better serve their playoff aspirations? The answer to this question will inevitably lead to the erosion of certain rivalries, as teams that are fighting for playoff spots become more focused on their immediate futures rather than preserving tradition.
Furthermore, the expansion of the College Football Playoff field in the future could make matters even more complicated. As of now, the CFP selects four teams, but there has been ongoing discussion about expanding the field to include more teams. Some proponents of expansion argue that more teams will increase the accessibility and fairness of the system, while others worry that expanding the field will further dilute the importance of individual games and rivalries. If the field expands to 8 or 12 teams, the pressure to schedule games with playoff implications may intensify even further, and that could spell the end for many of college football’s most cherished rivalries, including those involving Notre Dame.
While the College Football Playoff system undeniably creates excitement and adds a layer of clarity to the national championship race, it also risks overshadowing the rich history of college football rivalries. For Notre Dame, a team that has long prided itself on its independence and its commitment to playing a diverse and challenging schedule, the future of these rivalries is uncertain. The Irish have always been about more than just winning games; they’ve been about maintaining traditions, competing against the best, and preserving the spirit of college football. The College Football Playoff, for all its positive aspects, threatens to change that by focusing more on playoff contention and less on the rivalries and traditions that have defined the sport for generations.
In order to preserve the integrity of these historic rivalries, it may be necessary for college football to strike a balance between the demands of playoff contention and the need to maintain the sport’s rich traditions. For Notre Dame, this may mean finding ways to continue scheduling games against their traditional rivals while still maintaining a competitive path to the playoff. This could involve negotiating with other teams and conferences to preserve certain matchups or even reconsidering the current structure of the College Football Playoff itself.
At the end of the day, Notre Dame’s iconic football rivalries represent more than just games on a schedule. They are an integral part of what makes college football special: the passion, the history, and the pride that come with each contest. If the College Football Playoff continues to dominate the landscape of college football, it is important for all involved to remember that these rivalries are the lifeblood of the sport and must be protected for future generations to enjoy. The fate of Notre Dame’s iconic football rivalries, and those of many other teams across the country, is at a crossroads. The future of college football may depend on how well the sport can balance the demands of playoff contention with the preservation of its rich and storied traditions.
