THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS ESTABLISHED 1966
MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2025 | VOL. LX, NO. 37
NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Notre Dame fails to qualify for football playoffs
Observer Staff Report There were two spots left, yet three very similar teams had strong arguments for those spots. The College Football Playoff committee had an incredibly tough choice to make, knowing that whatever decision it made was going to produce controversy. In its final decision, the committee ultimately decided to rank Alabama at No. 9, Miami at No. 10 and Notre Dame at No. 11, therefore making the Irish the first team out of the College Football Playoff. There are certainly ways to justify these rankings, but there are also certain questions that remain unanswered. Both Miami and Notre Dame had 10-2 records, but Miami got the nod over Notre Dame because of the result of their head-to-head matchup in Week 1. Miami suffered losses to two unranked ACC opponents in SMU and Louisville, and Notre Dame was its only ranked win of the year. On the other side, the Irish suffered losses to two playoff teams in
JONATHAN CARR | The Observer
Notre Dame students gathered in Duncan Student Center react with disbelief after the Irish’s drop to No.11 in the CFP rankings. Head coach Marcus Freeman announced the Irish would decline any bowl invitations.
Miami and No. 7 Texas A&M in their first two games of the season, but they won their final 10 matchups by an average of 29.7 points per game while also beating a ranked team in
USC. Both teams had incredibly valid arguments, but when they were ranked next to each other in the final rankings, the committee decided to pick Miami.
Task force investigates AI course requirement at ND By Sophie Hanawalt Notre Dame News Editor
Since September, a task force within the Data, AI, and Computing Initiative has been exploring the best means of incorporating AI into Notre Dame’s curriculum. The initiative is led by
professor of computer science and engineering and founding director of the Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society Nitesh Chawla. It seeks to advance the University’s research in all subject areas and assist educators in finding better ways to incorporate AI into their
curriculum. It may also add new courses and degrees to the University’s repertoire. The initiative is part of the 2033 Strategic Framework, which organizes efforts to further various University goals over the next decade. see “Curriculum” on page 2
SMC unveils new academic advising center for students
No. 9 Alabama finished the season at 10-3, being the first three-loss, non-conference champion to make the 12team playoff. While it does have three losses, it is hard
to dispute the claim that Alabama had a more impressive resume than both Notre Dame and Miami. Of the Crimson Tide’s 13 games, five were against teams that finished the year in the top 25. They went 3-2 in those games, beating Vanderbilt, Missouri and Georgia in the regular season, but ultimately falling to two playoff teams in Oklahoma and Georgia in the SEC Championship yesterday. The main argument made for Alabama and Miami making it over Notre Dame is that Alabama had a more impressive resume than Notre Dame, and Miami had the head-tohead advantage over the Irish. On the surface, that seems justified, but the process that the committee took to get there is a bit questionable. The confusion in these rankings rests in the inconsistency in the evaluation of the teams that lost their conference championship games. For example, Ohio State dropped from No. 1 to No. 2, the team see “Playoff” on page 11
Editorial: Notre Dame vs. everyone The Observer Editorial Board At noon Sunday, 12 teams were selected to compete in the 2025 College Football Playoff — Notre Dame was not one of them. As ESPN talking-heads, the ACC and college football pundits around the country lauded the committee’s decision to leave the Irish out, a decades-old feeling reemerged in the hearts of Irish faithful: It’s us against the world. Amid the injustice of the decision, the same tired calls have reappeared for Notre Dame to join a conference. All this would have been avoided, many said, if Notre Dame had played for a conference championship game. Joining a conference would be a colossal mistake for Notre Dame. Despite the
committee’s incompetence this year, the new playoff format favors the team remaining on its own. Notre Dame is now eligible for a bye in the top four spots, unlike last year. And starting in 2026, Notre Dame is guaranteed an automatic playoff berth if it finishes in the CFP top 12 — regardless of the outcome of the other college championship games. This is a format that no longer explicitly disadvantages the Irish for maintaining their independence. More fundamentally, however, the conferences are emblematic of the same rot at the core of college football that is keeping Notre Dame out of the playoffs this year. The conferences are little more than conglomerates. They take money and TV
In an email to students Friday, provost and vice president of academic affairs Megan Zwart announced the launch of the
new Prikkel Advising, Career and Experience Center that will include the combination of academic advising and the Career Crossings Office. The center will be an addition to the northwest wing of Le Mans Hall, which also
houses the office of academic advising. The funding for the new center was provided by Patrick and Jennifer Prikkel. Jennifer Prikkel received an
NEWS | PAGE 4
OPINION | PAGE 5
SCENE | PAGE 7
SPORTS | PAGE 8
SPORTS | PAGE 12
Residents reflect on the hall’s past while preparing to move into a new dorm next year.
Columnist Grayson Beckham argues why people should read more politics consistently.
Christmas is all about light triumphing over darkness and death, and so is “Gremlins.”
Chris Dailey explores whether Jeremiyah Love can still capture college football’s greatest honor.
Associate sports editor Ben Hicks explains why Alabama’s inclusion should bother ND.
By Berhan Hagezom Saint Mary’s News Editor
Howard Hall
Intoxicated raccoon
see “Center” on page 2
‘Gremlins’
Love 4 Heisman?
see “Conference” on page 5
Don’t blame Miami