Notre Dame football got a gift on Christmas, as Australian punter Jasper Scaife committed and will enroll in January.

After being snubbed by the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame has pulled itself out of the postseason entirely. Hours after being left out of the 12-team playoff, the Fighting Irish announced that “as a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” the football team posted on X.

When you talk about the greatest rivalries in college football history, Notre Dame vs. USC is mentioned very quickly. The Fighting Irish and Trojans have played 93 times in the series history (Notre Dame holding a 51-37-5 record),

Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith recently named Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore as the toughest defensive back he’d faced.

Despite Notre Dame not being a part of the CFP this year, the Irish remain at the center of news and controversy. The latest drama surrounding the Irish has to do with future scheduling, as news has broken that the Irish have set up a series with BYU in 2026-2027.

As Notre Dame screamed and hollered for being left out of the 12-team tourney, it really had nobody to blame but itself. To avoid that, they should adhere to the "Wild West" that is present-day college football.

The Irish are welcoming a five-man secondary class from the 2026 group. Notre Dame also had interest in adding another, which should have been an indicator that there was going to be some roster turnover on the back end this offseason. The group, even with the defections, is going to be long, deep, and extremely talented.

The exclusion of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from the 2025-26 College Football Playoff has intensified discussions about the long-term plans of head coach Marcus Freeman.