The final CFP rankings didn’t end the controversy; they ignited a new one. This immediately establishes a tone of conflict and aligns with the article’s core theme. However, the 12-team bracket included non-major conference teams like Tulane (11–2) and James Madison (12–1), prompting ESPN’s Holly Rowe to make a bold statement about the committee’s decision.

“My point is, they are a better football team than Tulane/JMU, so is BYU, Notre Dame,” wrote Rowe. “System isn’t right yet.”

While Tulane finished the regular season with the same record as BYU, its AAC title may have given it the edge over the Cougars. Without that, while Tulane’s two losses came against Ole Miss and UTSA, both of the Cougars’ losses came against Texas Tech. A 29–7 stumble in Lubbock set the tone, and a 34–7 thud in the Big 12 title game sealed their fate.

“BYU, only 2 losses to top 4 seed Deserved more. 😤,” stated Rowe.

Considering that, Rowe’s point may make sense, but the committee’s decision has a reason too.

Here, the numbers tell a story. In two matchups against the Red Raiders, the only CFP team on their schedule, BYU was outscored 63–14, turned it over five times, and managed only 200 yards in the championship game. With that, the Cougars’ case simply wasn’t strong enough.

“Notre Dame, Texas, not in? So annoyed,” wrote the ESPN reporter.

Notre Dame’s playoff dreams vanished in one brutal reveal. ESPN announced that Miami had jumped the Irish in the final CFP rankings, snatching the last at-large berth. That made Notre Dame the dreaded Unlucky No. 13, stuck on the outside looking in.

While Texas Tech’s blowout win over BYU pushed the Cougars below Miami in the committee’s eyes, it suddenly pulled Notre Dame right up next to the Hurricanes on the ranking sheet.

While Texas Tech’s blowout win over BYU pushed the Cougars below Miami in the committee’s eyes, it suddenly pulled Notre Dame right up next to the Hurricanes on the ranking sheet.

Although they were once side-by-side, Miami’s 27–24 win over Notre Dame back on August 31 became the deciding blow. That early-season stumble cost ND a postseason seat.

On the flip side, even with BYU and Alabama losing on championship weekend, Texas couldn’t leapfrog the Crimson Tide or Miami for an at-large spot.

Texas had the second-hardest strength of schedule among contenders and head-to-head wins over Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. But three regular-season losses, including a gut-punch defeat to 4–8 Florida, opened the door for other two-loss teams to jump ahead.

Now, Holly Rowe’s take might seem to stem from her ties, having worked closely with Texas and being a BYU alum, but her point is more about the CFP committee’s decision-making issues.

Sometimes, a season’s whole body of work fades into the background, while early-season losses suddenly carry more weight than they should.

After several changes, the CFP bracket takes shape

The new CFP bracket set the whole sport on fire. Although every year feels chaotic, this time it’s a full-blown circus. Strength of schedule was supposed to matter. But James Madison, armed with the 128th-ranked slate and zero Power Five wins, walked into an automatic bid, while Duke, with tougher wins, was left staring through the window. However, the inconsistency didn’t stop there.

The committee’s logic seemed to shift from one case to the next. While conference championships appeared to elevate teams like Indiana and Texas Tech, the same standard was not consistently applied to all teams. Alabama’s inclusion, despite being routed by Georgia, nearly tripped up by Auburn, and recently beaten by Oklahoma, remains safe as the first three-loss team in CFP history.

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Meanwhile, teams like Texas got punished for scheduling Ohio State on the road. Plus, Notre Dame somehow got talked up for a month before falling out on a weekend when it didn’t even play.

After that, BYU’s loss magically shifted Miami up, which in turn pushed Notre Dame down. Yes, the committee really said that.

While this bracket is supposed to crown the best, instead, it rewarded chaos. The evaluation of favorites in the power conferences differed from the assessment of Tulane and JMU.

But what’s done is done.