‘Sickening’ – Stephen A. Smith rips apart CFP rule changes and slams Notre Dame decision

Stephen A. Smith has lashed out at the College Football Playoff (CFP) management committee over the ‘sickening’ decision to tweak qualification rules for Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish became one of the biggest stories of the 2025 season when they were bumped out of the postseason tournament, with Miami and Alabama taking the last at-large spots.

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That ‘snub’ led to the independent program declining a bowl game invite, and caused nationwide discussion about expanding the CFP field to avoid any similar issues cropping up again.

But just days after Indiana secured National Championship glory over Miami, the management committee confirmed the number of teams that will qualify in 2026 will stay the same.

CFP will remain 12-team field next season but rule change turns heads

The college football postseason bracket will remain at 12 teams for next season, after the Big Ten and SEC failed to agree on an expansion plan.

That decision has come as no surprise, as the two most powerful conferences in college sports have been locked in a stalemate over the issue that dates back almost a year.

The CFP management committee, though, has made a number of rule changes for 2026, including one that directly relates to Notre Dame.

From next season, the Fighting Irish will be guaranteed a spot in the tournament if they finish ranked in the top 12 (the program was No. 11 in 2025’s final rankings).

That tweak has upset ESPN star Smith, who believes the committee is creating a ‘separate category’ for Notre Dame after this year’s backlash.

Stephen A. Smith slams CFP decision on Fighting Irish

“What the hell is this about Notre Dame?” Smith asked,during Friday’s First Take.

“Why do we got a separate category for Notre Dame? What makes them so damn special? I’m really getting sick of this Notre Dame fawning.

“Who the hell are they, the Fighting Irish? Whatever. I love Marcus Freeman. Love him. Great coach, and I respect Notre Dame.

ESPN/First Take

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“I want to state for the record that I think they should have been in the postseason. I get it. They were clearly one of the top-12 teams in the nation.

“But, when people are complaining about Alabama being ahead of them, Alabama went to Athens and beat Georgia on the road weeks earlier.

“Yeah, they got stomped in the SEC Championship Game by Georgia a few weeks later, but they were pretty banged up at that particular moment in time. They played a conference championship game.

“What was Notre Dame doing? They were at home sitting on the couch. Why? Because they’re not a member of a conference.”

Smith then slammed AD Pete Bevacqua for ‘moaning’ about the CFP snub, and accused the school of trying to ‘keep the bag’ for themselves by pulling out of a conference.

He continued: “They had an opportunity to be a member of a conference, but their AD (Bevacqua) sat there moaning about how the ACC Commissioner didn’t speak up for Notre Dame but spoke up for Miami.

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“Well, you’ve got about 25 sports. About 23 are in the ACC, but you pull football out because you want to keep the bag for yourself.

“So, you want the bag and want them to talk highly of you even though you won’t associate your football programs with the conference because you want to keep the bag all for yourself.

“And then, when you don’t make the Playoff, you want to blame everybody else instead of looking into the mirror.

“This is sickening… this separate category… bump Notre Dame. Get your a** in a conference and compete like everybody else.”

Smith’s rant quickly went viral, and was seen more than 700,000 times on X within 24 hours.

He also noted his preference was to see a 16-team, or 20-team CFP, but clarified that every team should have to earn their spot.

As well as tweaking the rules for Notre Dame in 2026, the management committee made a number of other changes too.

What else will change for the CFP?

Since the postseason field grew from four to 12 teams after the 2023 season, the 12-team setup has changed each year.

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In 2024, the four highest-ranked conference champions received first-round byes.

The seeding protocol changed a year later, when the 12 qualifying teams were ranked from highest to lowest.

In 2026, the Power 4 conferences will each be guaranteed a spot for their conference champion.

The highest-ranked conference champion from the Group of 6, which now includes the Pac-12, will also be guaranteed a spot alongside Notre Dame (if they finish in the top 12).

The SEC and Big Ten, meanwhile, will receive more than half of the revenue, which is a big change from previous years.

While the field will stay at 12 in 2026, the momentum for a 16-team playoff has increased in recent months, and could be revisited again in future.

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