How Marcus Freeman Turned Notre Dame's Playoff Snub Into a Program-Wide Challenge
Marcus Freeman isn’t one for excuses.
Perhaps that was never more evident than last December when Notre Dame was left out of the College Football Playoff.
The Irish watched Alabama remain ahead of them and Miami leapfrog them in the final rankings, ending the program’s postseason hopes.
Freeman was measured publicly, but inside the Gug, his message to the team was even more direct. Even if he didn't fully understand or agree with the committee's decision, he ultimately arrived at one conclusion.
“We left doubt,” stated Freeman. “That’s the answer. I wasn’t ready to accept that at that moment. My natural reaction was to blame others, blame the committee. It’s not fair. By the time I regrouped and met with the team, I said we left doubt.”
Texas found itself in a similar position after missing the playoff, but head coach Steve Sarkisian took a different approach during SEC Media Days last week.
“I'm torn because I have two thoughts on this,” explained Sarkisian. “One is if we beat Ohio State last year, surely we're in a much better position when it comes to the playoffs, but on the other side of it is, if I don't play Ohio State and I play Jones Junior High, we're 10-2, and our two losses are to Georgia and Florida. We're a playoff team.”
It's a revealing contrast.
Instead of questioning the system, Freeman has consistently focused on what Notre Dame could have controlled. Sarkisian openly questioned whether scheduling marquee non-conference opponents is still worth the risk.
That debate carries significance as Texas and Notre Dame are scheduled to begin a home-and-home series, though Sarkisian acknowledged the Longhorns have at least discussed whether games like that are still worthwhile after last season.
“Is the juice worth the squeeze or not,” Sarkisian stated. “That's what we're all tasked with. I don't know yet about Notre Dame. We'll see, because I think the committee has to show us what happens now and what's the value that they're placing on strength of schedule and are we going to let a 9-3 team in as an at-large? We'll find out. I think this year will be a great test of what that looks like.”
Like Texas, Notre Dame enters 2026 with one of the deepest rosters in college football after stacking elite recruiting classes and building significant depth.
But while the Longhorns are questioning the value of their schedule, the Irish have turned last year's disappointment into fuel.
Freeman has used the playoff snub as motivation to evaluate every aspect of the program, challenging his staff and players to eliminate the mistakes that left the committee with any reason to leave Notre Dame out.
“Now we can use it,” Freeman said. “Now we can evaluate everything we’ve done from January to August. We lost two games. If we didn’t lose those two games, we’re in the playoff.
“Instead of blaming not making the playoff on a committee, you put it on yourself. If we blame the committee, now we don’t need to do anything different. We deserved to be in the playoff. Why am I going to reevaluate what we’re doing?”
“We left doubt. We lost two games. How do we fix that? You go evaluate everything you do from January to August and try to enhance it in certain areas to hopefully produce a better outcome when you play those two games.”
That mindset became the foundation of Notre Dame's offseason.
Freeman and strength coach Loren Landow introduced the program's 2026 theme. "Leave No Doubt."
While many fans have embraced it as a rallying cry for the season, Freeman pointed out it isn't about chasing a playoff berth or adding pressure to lofty expectations.
“That message can be received differently by each and every individual,” stated Freeman. “I want to make sure the guys in our program receive it with clarity in that what does leave no doubt mean. ‘Leave No Doubt’ means leave no doubt with what you’ve been given.”
Freeman doesn't want his players thinking about December in July.
He wants them thinking about the present day.
“We can use the lesson of last year, but leave no doubt with what we’re given every single day right now,” Freeman explained. “We’ll look back at the end of the season and say, did we leave doubt? That’s what our guys have to continue to remember.
“It’s not, ‘OK, we gotta make sure we leave no doubt for this season.’ No, that’s too big, too grand. Leave no doubt with what you’re guaranteed and that’s today. Did you leave no doubt that you took advantage and you got better today? That’s what I want that trigger to be when they hear that.”
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