David HaleMay 11, 2026, 08:46 PM ETCloseCollege football reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012.Graduate of the University of Delaware.Follow on XMultiple Authors
What is Notre Dame’s mindset after missing out on CFP? (2:19)Heather Dinich reports on how Notre Dame is feeling heading into the 2026 season after missing out on the College Football Playoff. (2:19)
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — What started as a “permanently damaged” relationship after Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff snub in favor of Miami is now little more than water under the bridge as Fighting Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua and the ACC appear to have moved on from last year’s hurt feelings.
Bevacqua called the school’s relationship with the ACC “very good and healthy” and said he has had numerous conversations with conference commissioner Jim Phillips in the months since the playoff snub that have helped heal any wounds.
Notre Dame, which is in the ACC for all sports except football, had been ranked ahead of conference member Miami in every College Football Playoff release until the final top 25, despite the Hurricanes’ head-to-head win in Week 1. In the run-up to the committee’s final verdict, the ACC had backed Miami as a playoff team, noting the on-field result as a point of context.
Phillips specifically avoided direct critiques of Notre Dame, but the ACC Network re-aired the Week 1 matchup several times — something Notre Dame administrators saw as a slight against their school.
Ultimately, the committee moved Miami ahead of the Irish, despite neither school playing on championship weekend, and the Hurricanes enjoyed a playoff run that included wins over Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss before they lost in the national championship game to Indiana. The Irish, frustrated by the playoff snub, opted out of postseason play.
“I’ve always said, a strong ACC is good for Notre Dame, and a strong Notre Dame is good for the ACC,” Bevacqua said.
If tensions have cooled off the field, however, the on-field rivalry remains strong. Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore referred to the 2026 game against Miami as being part of a “revenge tour.”
What is Notre Dame’s mindset after missing out on CFP? (2:19)Heather Dinich reports on how Notre Dame is feeling heading into the 2026 season after missing out on the College Football Playoff. (2:19)
Heather Dinich reports on how Notre Dame is feeling heading into the 2026 season after missing out on the College Football Playoff. (2:19)
David HaleMay 11, 2026, 08:46 PM ETCloseCollege football reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012.Graduate of the University of Delaware.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseCollege football reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012.Graduate of the University of Delaware.Follow on X
“We got to make it right from last year,” Moore said.
Miami and Notre Dame face off in the rematch Nov. 7 in South Bend, Indiana.