Listening to sports radio talk this morning. It is dominated by Notre Dame‘s decision to refuse to participate in any bowl games.

Let them pout and stay home. No need to keep giving them airtime.

All they had to do was not lose two games on their crappy schedule and they would be in.

We have 12 teams that are in. I would rather hear about them than the losers in South Bend.

P.s. Sorry for the Title Charles. 🫣🙄

Stolen from Will Ferrell from the movie “ Daddy’s Home.”

I believe Marcus Freeman is failing these young men and their decision to "take their ball and go home"

I read that "the players agreed" to this. RIGHT HERE is where a good coach, a mentor to these young men, an influence in their lives needs to step up and have a heart-to-heart with these folks.

I know the team has a lot of emotions about being left out and that debate can be had. The vast majority of these guys will NOT be playing on Sunday. The seniors on that team have played their last game.

Marcus Freeman should have held a team meeting and addressed the emotions of being left out. He then should have told his team that they have one more chance to go to battle with their brothers, to finish this season on a high note as a team and go out together.

Things don't always go your way in life. Your response to that is what shapes your character, resiliency, and attitude. This was the PERFECT example for Marcus Freeman to show these young man that adversity doesn't mean you have to quit.

I already know the answer to my question, but can ANYONE here see DL letting this happen?

I am not a ND fan, but I am ok with the decision. We will see a lot of bowl games (well, I won't because I don't like the glare of empty seats staring at me from my TV) wherein the teams/players just don't care.

The three main reasons are money, NIL money and ESPN/FOX/network money. There are way too many bowl games and the playoffs have rusted these other games.

Most schools lose money having to purchase x number of tickets which they can't sell and going to El Paso in January to cheer on a barely .500 team just isn't a dream of min.

They aren’t the only program opting out of a bowl, the bowl system is completely dysfunctional and has been for years. Would I really want to see us play (and be enthusiastic about it) in the Vegas Bowl with half of our team if we had gone 9-3?

It is time for the bowl system to go bye bye imo.

Edited Monday at 04:21 PM1 day by JabbaNoBargain

I'd just take the bowls, and use them to determine a G6 champion. That champion could get elevated for a season to a P4 conference, if they win the conference, promote them. It would never work in reality, but it'd be fun to see.

3 hours ago, Ktmguy2018 said:

I believe Marcus Freeman is failing these young men and their decision to "take their ball and go home"

I read that "the players agreed" to this. RIGHT HERE is where a good coach, a mentor to these young men, an influence in their lives needs to step up and have a heart-to-heart with these folks.

I know the team has a lot of emotions about being left out and that debate can be had. The vast majority of these guys will NOT be playing on Sunday. The seniors on that team have played their last game.

Marcus Freeman should have held a team meeting and addressed the emotions of being left out. He then should have told his team that they have one more chance to go to battle with their brothers, to finish this season on a high note as a team and go out together.

Things don't always go your way in life. Your response to that is what shapes your character, resiliency, and attitude. This was the PERFECT example for Marcus Freeman to show these young man that adversity doesn't mean you have to quit.

I already know the answer to my question, but can ANYONE here see DL letting this happen?

highly doubt this is a Marcus Freeman decision. This is a AD/President decision

Massduck, you are right, and not only your point of view, but that your title is admittedly, “not Noble.” Of course, I have never claimed to be Noble, and I thought it was pretty funny.

We can’t do titles like that very often, but this is an enjoyable, special occasion…

5 hours ago, Massduck said:

Listening to sports radio talk this morning. It is dominated by Notre Dame‘s decision to refuse to participate in any bowl games.

Let them pout and stay home. No need to keep giving them airtime.

All they had to do was not lose two games on their crappy schedule and they would be in.

We have 12 teams that are in. I would rather hear about them than the losers in South Bend.

P.s. Sorry for the Title Charles. 🫣🙄

Stolen from Will Ferrell from the movie “ Daddy’s Home.”

Nougat of Wisdom...

ND's 2026 schedule. Wonder why they get no respect. Only 3 road games.

Edited Monday at 07:32 PM1 day by GODUCKS15

17 minutes ago, GODUCKS15 said:

ND's 2026 schedule. Wonder why they get no respect. Only 3 road games.

Other than Miami and USC not exactly a murderers row schedule.

1 hour ago, Charles Fischer said:

Massduck, you are right, and not only your point of view, but that your title is admittedly, “not Noble.” Of course, I have never claimed to be Noble, and I thought it was pretty funny.

We can’t do titles like that very often, but this is an enjoyable, special occasion…

Thanks for the slack Charles!

1 hour ago, kirklandduck said:

Other than Miami and USC not exactly a murderers row schedule.

...and USC went to South Bend this year. Two years in a row they get them at home? How does that work??

I heard a Talking Head say that Norte Dame has signed an agreement that if they finish in the top 12 in the ranking they are automatically placed in the tournament. Anyone else hear this? If that is the case why schedule any hard opponents? Go 12-0 with cupcakes you are in.

Just join a league, it is that simple. Why is everybody else changing with the times except Norte Dame?

Whatever the thought process that led to ND’s decision, likely tilting it a bit for Freeman was just the thought of all those press conference questions directed at how they could have screwed up so bad and ended up there.

5 hours ago, JabbaNoBargain said:

They aren’t the only program opting out of a bowl, the bowl system is completely dysfunctional and has been for years. Would I really want to see us play (and be enthusiastic about it) in the Vegas Bowl with half of our team if we had gone 9-3?

It is time for the bowl system to go bye bye imo.

Or, at a minimum, be radically altered.

3 hours ago, Lrod said:

highly doubt this is a Marcus Freeman decision. This is a AD/President decision

I was about to say the same thing. There's not a chance in hell that he made this decision in a vacuum. Clearly, he had full support and direction of the administration as well.

Also, perhaps it's time that Notre Dame grow a pair and join a real conference.

30 minutes ago, Desert Duck said:

Also, perhaps it's time that Notre Dame grow a pair and join a real conference.

Thing is...ACC has an ironclad contract that they can't join a conference other than the ACC through 2036. They are accusing the ACC of pushing Miami instead of them for playoffs. Bridge burned

11 minutes ago, Lrod said:

Thing is...ACC has an ironclad contract that they can't join a conference other than the ACC through 2036. They are accusing the ACC of pushing Miami instead of them for playoffs. Bridge burned

Wowzaa... I didn't realize that. And they're going to have a tough time of it for a lot more years.

This is just another example of how messed up CFB has become.

The Bowls were the one time a player could get free stuff. Now, who needs another set of 'beats' headsets?! They can all afford to buy their own!

I agree that the Bowl system needs revitalizing, but what part of CFB doesn't!

I personally think this is a bad look on coach Freeman and entire ND organization. They could have shown up and trounced BYU and made a legitimate claim of being cheated from playoffs. Now they look like poor losers.

I mean, after all, they did lose head-to-head with Miami. Both teams 10-2. Makes sense to me.

I can't imagine coach Lanning ever allowing something like this.

One last thought about ISU and KSU skipping Bowl games: they have different circumstances. Both lost coaches, both are likely to lose players to the portal. Is it in anyone's best interest to play a game repping your school with less then a normal full roster?

And, the Poptart bowl isn't a bad gig.

Better then a lot of others.

Just sayin.

Edited Monday at 10:46 PM1 day by DanLduck

2 hours ago, Desert Duck said:

Also, perhaps it's time that Notre Dame grow a pair and join a real conference.

Trust me...they never will. Why?

1) They do not want a conference telling them what to do, and implement new rules on them that conflict with their stated mission/goals/charter.

2) They have their own TV contract...no split with anyone! If they go to a conference....they will LOSE money. That won't happen because....

3 hours ago, Duckman60 said:

I heard a Talking Head say that Norte Dame has signed an agreement that if they finish in the top 12 in the ranking they are automatically placed in the tournament. Anyone else hear this? If that is the case why schedule any hard opponents? Go 12-0 with cupcakes you are in.

Just join a league, it is that simple. Why is everybody else changing with the times except Norte Dame?

It was the same when Bowls,other than the previous version of playoffs was in force.

10 hours ago, GODUCKS15 said:

ND's 2026 schedule. Wonder why they get no respect. Only 3 road games.

Wow. That is so gross. It’s possible that they might only play two teams that are over 0.500 next year (USC and Miami) and both at at home. If they lose to anyone but Miami, they should be automatically out.

Notre Dame is ticked off and raising Cane 🤬, but in Canes country, it's all good. 😍

Jim Phillps with a velvet hammer - We really love you ND but ...😁

Canes Warning

ACC Commissioner puts ND in its place after CFP chooses M...

After Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua accused the ACC of doing "permanent damage" to its relationship with the Irish over how hard the conference pus

Here’s a thought; play the game and run up the score. Prove to these players that you don’t always get what you worked hard for but you need to take what you get and make it stellar! Also, this will help send a message to the CFB committee to get it right.

55-3 ought to do it, don’t ya think? Missed opportunity IMO.

22 hours ago, Desert Duck said:

Wowzaa... I didn't realize that. And they're going to have a tough time of it for a lot more years.

well maybe.. They have a clause that kicks in with the NCAA that if they are ranked in the top 12, they will be in the playoffs. if it was in place this year, they would be in.

It does sound like sour grapes that ND is refusing to play in a bowl game, but it also makes me think of FSU playing in a bowl game against UGA after they got snubbed in 2023. They were missing like 20 starters or something and of course UGA just destroyed them! It was 63-3!

I’m not saying that FSU would have won that game against GA if they had their true team, but they had zero chance with the opt-outs and everyone used that beat down as justification that the committee made the right call, when it’s obvious that FSU deserved a chance, even after losing their QB.

I don’t have any idea how many ND players would have opted out, but the fact that they voted not to play makes me think many would have. This is likely a big reason to avoid the bowl game for the Irish.

I’m certainly not a ND fan, but I can’t say I disagree with skipping a meaningless bowl if they were not going to have a team resembling their true 2025 team.

Edited 10 hours ago10 hr by SoGaDawg

Even so, you have to wonder why so many FSU guys opted out. I want to remind you that their opponent, Georgia, also got snubbed that year. They had one loss by 3 points in the SEC Championship game while missing their two most electric offensive players (Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey, both of whom tried to go and just couldn't). But the Dawgs didn't whine. They showed up , played, and dominated, no surprise with so many Seminoles sitting home. Pride stimulated them to show up and FSU still hasn't recovered from the shellacking.

IMHO, paid players should not be allowed to desert their team because their feelings are bruised.