College football writer slams Notre Dame and Miami’s CFP ranking in wake of Fighing Irish’s 25-10 win over BC

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were ranked No. 10 in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s first rankings release on Tuesday night, and to justify it, committee chair Mack Rhoades offered that the team’s improved defense under first-year defensive coordinator Chris Ash after ceding 68 points in their first two games, both losses.

That obviously means that Notre Dame benefitted from getting their losses out of the way early on, as The Athletic’s Chris Vannini pointed out. Vannini felt for the teams that picked up losses later in the season, like the Miami Hurricanes, who beat the Fighting Irish 27-24 at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 1 but have had recent losses to the SMU Mustangs and Louisville Cardinals.

“Notre Dame ultimately benefitted by losing its games early in the season. They had more time to make up for it. Even with just one good win, everyone else began falling later when their second losses came,” Vannini wrote.

“I think Notre Dame's really good. They shouldn't be ahead of Miami yet.”

Vannini also condemned Rhoades’ claim that Notre Dame is a “really, really good football” coming just days after an unimpressive 25-10 win over the Boston College Eagles this past Saturday.

“Three days after struggling with Boston College is not the time to make this statement about Notre Dame,” Vannini wrote.

Notre Dame getting the benefit of the doubt is business as usual

The Fighting Irish are a charmed program in more ways than one. It’s just the business of college football. And it’s business as usual again in 2025 despite Notre Dame’s early-season losses.

Especially after a national championship game appearance, the Fighting Irish are going to be given preferential treatment. Notre Dame’s fanbase shows out, helping make the school one of the top revenue drivers in the sport, and its alumni base is in positions of power all throughout the sports world.

Call it the luck of the Irish, or call it what it is: a crooked system benefitting a team that refuses to play by the same rules as everyone else, because they can.