After getting the shaft when the College Football Playoff Selection Committee gave the Alabama Crimson Tide a spot in its 12-team field, not moving them down at all after a 28-7 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and BYU Cougars are booking a home-and-home series for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, "Notre Dame (announced) a new series with BYU in 2026 and 2027, which signals a pause in the longstanding series with USC. They'll play in Provo in 2026 and South Bend in 2027. This marks a halt in a series that has been a fixture on the sport's calendar since 1926."
Talk about a get-back.
Don't think the strength of schedule is good enough? Schedule the two teams that were most egregiously aggrieved. Notre Dame ended a long-time rivalry with the USC Trojans, understandably, since a 34-24 win over the LA-based rivals did nothing for the Fighting Irish in 2025.
Alabama didn't prove they belonged in CFP with Oklahoma win
With several days removed from the CFP's first round, even though Alabama didn't wilt under Kalen DeBoer and let a talent advantage shine over an Oklahoma Sooners team whose offense fell off a cliff after John Mateer injured his hand against the Auburn Tigers, the Tide's highway robbery of a spot that belonged to the Fighting Irish or Cougars still doesn't sit well.
Even though they beat OU, the loss might've said more about the Sooners being a shell of the team that shellacked the Michigan Wolverines in Week 2 than Alabama being a legitimately great team.
The Indiana Hoosiers loom next for the Tide after having only looked mortal against the Ohio State Buckeyes and, for some reason, a Penn State Nittany Lions team that had already fired head coach James Franklin.
IU could do Notre Dame, BYU, and the rest of College Football a solid by gatekeeping a spot in the CFP Alabama never deserved a chance of getting.