Jena Stopczynski

Photojournalist, digital creator, and sports editor for VSBM and Irish Illustrated. Formerly, ABC57 and 95.7 The Fan. Follow me on IG: JenStop14

[Tyler Horka @tbhorka]

Eli and Peyton Manning called on CJ Carr to set the example in any given drill in front of the entire Manning Passing Academy.

Notre Dame's starter was the "alpha dog" of the camp.

"When Eli and Peyton know who the guy is, that tells you something."

https://t.co/5D2WNgyDtF

[Marcus Freeman @Marcus_Freeman1]

2026…run it back

Go Irish ☘️

[Nicole Auerbach @NicoleAuerbach]

The committee said it didn’t drop Alabama after losing Georgia because Bama had beaten UGA.

But the Tide had already gotten credit for that win! It was baked into their resume and No. 9 ranking. So, they essentially got credit for beating UGA — twice: https://t.co/bDIV1rB4bF

[Rodger Sherman @rodger]

keep coming back to this:

Notre Dame's two losses were by a combined four points. Their most recent loss was on September 14th.

Alabama lost by 21, yesterday

[☘️ @WeAreNDFans]

Go be great, 4. 🥲☘️

[Robby Toma @rtoma9]

ESPN was clearly hoping to profit big off a BYU vs. Notre Dame ‘first two out’ matchup. Hard pass. If you think ND owes ESPN a damn thing after they spent the entire weekend campaigning against them, you’re out of your mind and probably not very business savvy.

[Brady Quinn @Brady_Quinn]

So folks at @espn are upset ND isn’t playing in a bowl game after weeks of folks politicking against the lack of conference affiliation, using them as a pawn for their CFB playoff selection show, having the ACC network play the UM/ND game on repeat for 48 hours during Conf Champ week BUT now it’s a bad look they don’t want to serve ESPN’s best interest by playing in an exhibition bowl game? Got it.

[jason love @jasonlove5158]

So Proud of you son, what a hell of a ride! The Greatest Of All Time, in my opinion of course!

[Jonas Gray @JonasLGray]

I’m so sick of the @NDFootball vs Miami argument — let’s stay grounded in what’s actually true — not feelings, not conference politics, not just “but head-to-head.” Just straight facts.

Yes, Miami beat Notre Dame 27–24 in Week 1. Nobody is denying that. But the playoff isn’t about who looked good in August — it’s about who was better over 12 full games and who actually earned a playoff spot.

Now look at the entire résumé:

Notre Dame has 10 FBS wins.
Miami has 9 FBS wins and an FCS win.
Those are not the same.

Notre Dame’s two losses came to ranked, playoff-level teams (Miami and Texas A&M).
Miami’s two losses came to unranked conference opponents (Louisville and SMU).
Again — very different résumés.

Notre Dame has zero bad losses, two ranked wins, and played the stronger schedule based on total opponent FBS wins (ND: 75 | Miami: 69).
ND also won all 10 games by double digits — dominance from start to finish.

Here’s the part nobody can debate:

Every major poll and ranking system has Notre Dame ahead of Miami.

• CFP: ND 10 | Miami 12
• AP: ND 9 | Miami 12
• Coaches: ND 9 | Miami 12
• FPI: ND top 3
• SP+: ND top 5
• FEI: ND top 5
• Sagarin: ND top 5

There isn’t a single analytic system — human or computer — that ranks Miami above Notre Dame.

Miami finished third in the ACC and didn’t reach the title game.
Notre Dame finished with a top-10 national profile and top-5 efficiency numbers.

And here’s the key part — straight from the CFP committee chair:

Notre Dame and Miami were compared directly… and Notre Dame STILL came out ahead — even after head-to-head.

Why? Because the committee evaluates the entire season, not one Saturday in August.

Notre Dame checks every single playoff box. Miami doesn’t check half of them — and they do NOT deserve to be in over Notre Dame.

Notre Dame has:
• More FBS wins
• No bad losses
• Two ranked wins
• A stronger overall résumé
• Real statistical balance
• All double-digit victories
• Better opponents
• Top-10 placement in every human poll
• Top-5 numbers in every major efficiency system
• A résumé the committee already confirmed is stronger

Miami:
• Played an FCS team
• Has two unranked losses
• Has one ranked win
• Finished 3rd in the ACC
• Trails Notre Dame in every category that matters

And here is the truth no one can twist:

There is not a single factual category where Miami has a better playoff résumé than Notre Dame — not one.

Head-to-head matters, but only as one piece of the full puzzle. And when you zoom out, it’s obvious:

Notre Dame belongs in the CFP.
Miami does NOT deserve to be in over Notre Dame. Period. #GoIrish

[Jena Stopczynski @JenStopTV]

@tbhorka The worst playoff committee in history

[Bad Sports Refs @BadSportsRefs]

This no call from September officially kept Notre Dame out of the playoff

[Nicole Auerbach @NicoleAuerbach]

So, BYU was penalized for getting blown out in its conference championship game (dropped one spot). Which allowed Miami to move up and get compared directly to Notre Dame.

But Alabama was not penalized for getting blown out in its conference championship game.

[Exposing SEC Bias @overrated_sec]

Ohio St lost and fell.

BYU lost and fell.

Virginia lost and fell.

What happened when Alabama got dominated while racking up -3 rushing yards?

[Dan Orlovsky @danorlovsky7]

Notre Dame should have been in over Alabama

[Jena Stopczynski @JenStopTV]

Hot take, If teams aren’t penalized for losing in “the extra game” conference championship, then they shouldn’t be rewarded automatically either for winning it. We did not and up with the best 12 teams in the country in the playoff and it’s a damn shame. @CFBPlayoff do better.

[Notre Dame Football @NDFootball]

LOVE 4️⃣ HEISMAN

@JeremiyahLove at the center of the universe ☘️

#GoIrish🫶

[Tyler Horka @tbhorka]

Boise State beats UNLV, 38-21, in the Mountain West championship game. Jaden Mickey had 5 tackles and a PBU.

Notre Dame beat Boise State, 28-7, in September.

For what it's worth, the Fighting Irish have a CFP résumé data point Miami does not — a win over a conference champion.

[Jena Stopczynski @JenStopTV]

“Big-time shot, big-time player.” - Coach Niele Ivey

#hannahhidalgo #ndwbb #NotreDame

[Tyler Horka @tbhorka]

Final: Notre Dame 85, Akron 58

Hannah Hidalgo in 28 minutes:
44 points (program record)
16 steals (NCAA record)
9 rebounds
4 assists
16-25 FG (64%)
3-6 3FG (50%)
9-11 FT (81.8%)

She's the best player in the game. Who's better?

[Jena Stopczynski @JenStopTV]

November football ❄️
#notredame #irish