A controversial College Football Playoff rule gives Notre Dame a free pass into the postseason that could cost fans a historic Texas-Notre Dame series.
The Texas Longhorns and Notre Dame Fighting Irish are scheduled for a high-profile home-and-home series in 2028 and 2029, but growing controversy over a College Football Playoff loophole might jeopardize the entire deal.
Notre Dame is at the center of a shocking rule that gives the Irish automatic playoff eligibility if they finish in the top 12 of the final CFP rankings ... even without a conference championship.
The policy, quietly approved by CFP officials last spring, would guarantee a spot for Notre Dame over other conference-affiliated teams. Had the rule been enforced this year, it would have bumped No. 10 Miami from the bracket despite its stronger body of work.
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The backlash across college football has been immediate and heated.
According to Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken, multiple athletic directors have discussed the nuclear option of freezing Notre Dame out of future scheduling deals in protest.
And that includes Texas.
Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian, speaking at Early Signing Day, acknowledged the ongoing conversations between himself and AD Chris Del Conte. He confirmed that games against Ohio State (2026) and Michigan (2027) are locked in, but the future beyond that is "up for discussion."
"I think anything beyond that is up for discussion," Sarkisian said. "CDC and I have already had that discussion. We need to take a good, hard look at what our non-conference schedule looks like beyond the next two years."
In other words, the Notre Dame series is on shaky ground.
The rule's absurdity is underscored by the irony of Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua's own recent comments, where he blasted the CFP rankings process, likening it to "musical chairs at some fifth-grade birthday party."
But under this new policy, Notre Dame effectively becomes the misbehaving toddler who still gets a slice of playoff cake, all while teams with conference titles and tougher schedules watch from the sidelines.
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If Texas walks away from this series, it won’t be out of fear, but frustration.
The Longhorns have been building a powerhouse schedule, but rewarding a team for skipping the grind of a conference slate is hard to justify.
Unless the CFP committee walks this rule back, don't be surprised if Notre Dame's preferential treatment ends up costing fans one of college football's most iconic future matchups.