The CFP verdict dropped on December 6, but the sting hasn’t faded. Enter GOAT Nick Saban, back with the salt shaker. The former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach got involved with the James Madison Dukes, comparing them to a minor league team. All this to support Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after they received the cold shoulder from the CFP.

“Would we allow the winner of the Triple-A baseball league, the International League, I don’t even know the name of it, came Saban’s blunt comparison on the December 18th episode of the Pat McAfee Show.

Would you let them in the World Series? That’s the equivalent of what we do when JMU gets in the playoffs, and Notre Dame doesn’t.”

The final CFP rankings came with a plot twist. James Madison backdoor’d its way into the field once the Duke Blue Devils handled the Virginia Cavaliers in the ACC championship. It triggered a side-by-side between a one-loss Sun Belt juggernaut and a five-loss Power Four contender. 

Duke had the résumé wins, but James Madison had the polish, the control, enough to smash expectations and put two Group of Five logos on the playoff board.

Cut to Freeman’s Notre Dame, which found one of its biggest supporters, Saban.

There was little reason to believe they would be the odd team out after championship weekend. Alabama face-planted against the Georgia Bulldogs; the Irish had stayed comfortably ahead of Miami all cycle. Plus, Notre Dame’s brand alone guarantees playoff eyeballs.

That’s what made Sunday’s decision so jarring. The committee leaned on the strength of schedule to justify the snub, pointing to Notre Dame’s No. 44 slate versus Alabama’s battle-tested No. 6 ranking.

Unlike most postseasons, the CFP runs on committee logic, not automatic bids. A 13-member panel weighs résumés, schedules, titles, and comparisons, then drops its final rankings after championship weekend. The twist in the champion carve-out? 

The five highest-ranked conference champs get in no matter what. That’s the loophole that opened the door for No. 24 James Madison and slammed it on No. 11 Freeman’s squad. Plenty will argue Saban’s baseball comparison misses the mark.

That’s because the AAA teams don’t line up against MLB clubs the way Group of Five programs regularly face, and sometimes beat, power-conference opponents.

Freeman’s program’s big supporter will catch flak for it, fairly or not, but the message stays consistent: Saban says the playoff should reward the most deserving teams, regardless of logo, league, or label. The GOAT has fought for it earlier, too.

“The fact of the matter is all three of those teams should’ve gotten in and deserved to be in the College Football Playoff,” Saban said right after the field was released. “I think you’re going to have two teams in the playoffs, no disrespect to the group of five that are nowhere near ranked as highly as teams that are much better than them.”

Saban wasn’t the only one fighting for Freeman’s case.

Urban Meyer joins Nick Saban in ‘Support Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame Club’

Pat McAfee noted that many people were in favor of a single Group of Five seat once the CFP expanded to 12, not two. But with ACC champ Duke left out, the door swung wider than expected, and suddenly the Group of Five doubled up, forcing a league-wide rethink. However, just like Saban, Urban Meyer also became upset. 

“You win your conference and win whatever, but you can’t be considered,” said the former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach on The Triple Option podcast. “That would tell the ADs and all that. You have to be judged on that. You can’t be judged on the other games.”

However, amidst all the support pouring in for Freeman’s program, they caught some heat, too. The reason? Notre Dame woke up Sunday believing the last at-large bid was theirs. Slotted at No. 10 and ahead of Miami in every CFP drop, the Irish never saw the blindside coming. Then, the committee flipped the script. 

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Stunned, Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua said the playoff was “stolen” and ripped the rankings as “a joke.” The disbelief quickly turned into action. Notre Dame didn’t want a participation trophy. The Irish yanked their name from bowl consideration and shut the whole thing down. No Gator Bowl. No Holiday Bowl. The season was over for Freeman’s squad. 

The reaction that followed was not sweet. They were labeled as “cowardly” and “immature.” 

However, the snub didn’t blacklist Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame in the NFL Draft conversations. Their running back, Jeremiyah Love, has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. He is reportedly a perfect fit for the Minnesota Vikings.

Even after the CFP gut punch, Freeman and Co. are finding silver linings.