🏈 Notre Dame football legend levels accusation against ESPN on Alabama making CFP

[SEC Sports]

Notre Dame football legend levels accusation against ESPN on Alabama making CFP

Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Brady Quinn knocked ESPN for its role in the Alabama Crimson Tide making the 12-team 2025/2026 College Football Pla

flywareagle.com

Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Brady Quinn knocked ESPN for its role in the Alabama Crimson Tide making the 12-team 2025/2026 College Football Playoff field over his alma mater. In fact, Quinn conferred a collusion label on the network for preferring an undeserving SEC school.

Quinn claimed that the "entire process" is controlled by Disney and ESPN for rigging things in Alabama's favor. He then attacked the SEC's performance in the CFP last year, with the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers both getting eliminated in their first game.

"This entire process is controlled by ESPN and Disney. And just to compare it to the NFL — because that’s where college football is going, it’s more of a professionalized model — what you have is an NFL that controls all of it. And they kind of say, ‘Hey, we decide who gets access on this and who doesn’t,’ it’s entirely different with college football. This is all an ESPN creation, a Disney creation, so I think that’s where they think there’s a big sense of bias," Quinn said the "Sturgotz and Company" show.

"I mean, let’s just go back before the season. [ESPN] talked about the committee changing the criteria in how they evaluate schedules, because what did we have last year in the playoff? Only three SEC teams and they all got stomped for the most part, besides Texas, that at least made its way to the semifinal round. And, by the way, barely made it there."

Alabama making CFP a product of College Football favoring big brands

As Keith Gaddie, Hoffman Chair of the American Ideal, professor of political science in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts at TCU, and author of Bragging Rites: College Football’s Disputed Titles, noted, College Football is favoring big brands, hence the selection committee's non-scientific results.

"The biggest insight is that there is always a brand-tradition bias (‘pointing to your logo’) which inherently favors blue bloods, legacy blue bloods and recent dominant programs. The sport favors its favorite," Gaddie said to a question asking, "As college athletics undergo significant change, from conference shifts to postseason restructuring, what historical patterns from disputed-title eras provide the most insight into today’s landscape?"

It's obnoxious to air a 28-7 beatdown in the SEC Championship Game and simultaneously not reward the Georgia Bulldogs by seeding them over the Ohio State Buckeyes, who lost the B1G title game, but not punish the Tide by moving them in the rankings at all.

It is what it is. As Quinn notes, what it is, is a sham.

 

[SEC Sports]

TCU professor sends strong message on Alabama making CFP field over Notre Dame, BYU

Keith Gaddie, Hoffman Chair of the American Ideal, professor of political science in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts at TCU, and author of Bragging Rites: Co

flywareagle.com

Keith Gaddie, Hoffman Chair of the American Ideal, professor of political science in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts at TCU, and author of Bragging Rites: College Football’s Disputed Titles, recently commented on the state of the sport in 2025.

His comments offered insight into why the Alabama Crimson Tide were chosen over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the BYU Cougars, who each had two losses to Bama's three, for the College Football Playoff's 12-team 2025/2026 field.

"The biggest insight is that there is always a brand-tradition bias (‘pointing to your logo’) which inherently favors blue bloods, legacy blue bloods and recent dominant programs. The sport favors its favorite," Gaddie said to a question asking, "As college athletics undergo significant change, from conference shifts to postseason restructuring, what historical patterns from disputed-title eras provide the most insight into today’s landscape?"

Now, you may be wondering why the Notre Dame brand, one of the six biggest nationally that produces the majority of the revenue, would not benefit in this situation. There's a simple answer for that.

ESPN prefers brands it broadcasts when deciding the CFP​

Technically, ESPN doesn't own and operate the CFP. It just broadcasts the tournament for a whopping $1.3 billion annually. That $1.3 billion price tag surely comes with a little sway with the selection committee.

The Tide are in the club that gets into the CFP with three losses, one during the conference championship, something no team has ever gotten in after, because they're one of the SEC's premier brands with the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns.

The Fighting Irish are on that level with those three, the Michigan Wolverines, and the Ohio State Buckeyes, but they're not only a College Football independent, but they're exclusively partnered with NBC Universal. For years, Disney, which owns ESPN and the SEC Network, has had financial disputes with Comcast, which owns NBC. Disney has done major business with FOX Corp, though. Big Ten and Big 12 schools aren't seen as enemies the same way Notre Dame is.

As selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek is fumbling and bumbling trying to explain football reasons for Alabama making the CFP during these televised dog and pony shows on ESPN, the truth is that billionaires in suits have more of an influence on the 12-team field than anything that happens with the players in pads.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

TCU professor sends strong message on Alabama making CFP field over Notre Dame, BYU

Keith Gaddie, Hoffman Chair of the American Ideal, professor of political science in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts at TCU, and author of Bragging Rites: Co

flywareagle.com

Keith Gaddie, Hoffman Chair of the American Ideal, professor of political science in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts at TCU, and author of Bragging Rites: College Football’s Disputed Titles, recently commented on the state of the sport in 2025.

His comments offered insight into why the Alabama Crimson Tide were chosen over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the BYU Cougars, who each had two losses to Bama's three, for the College Football Playoff's 12-team 2025/2026 field.

"The biggest insight is that there is always a brand-tradition bias (‘pointing to your logo’) which inherently favors blue bloods, legacy blue bloods and recent dominant programs. The sport favors its favorite," Gaddie said to a question asking, "As college athletics undergo significant change, from conference shifts to postseason restructuring, what historical patterns from disputed-title eras provide the most insight into today’s landscape?"

Now, you may be wondering why the Notre Dame brand, one of the six biggest nationally that produces the majority of the revenue, would not benefit in this situation. There's a simple answer for that.

ESPN prefers brands it broadcasts when deciding the CFP​

Technically, ESPN doesn't own and operate the CFP. It just broadcasts the tournament for a whopping $1.3 billion annually. That $1.3 billion price tag surely comes with a little sway with the selection committee.

The Tide are in the club that gets into the CFP with three losses, one during the conference championship, something no team has ever gotten in after, because they're one of the SEC's premier brands with the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns.

The Fighting Irish are on that level with those three, the Michigan Wolverines, and the Ohio State Buckeyes, but they're not only a College Football independent, but they're exclusively partnered with NBC Universal. For years, Disney, which owns ESPN and the SEC Network, has had financial disputes with Comcast, which owns NBC. Disney has done major business with FOX Corp, though. Big Ten and Big 12 schools aren't seen as enemies the same way Notre Dame is.

As selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek is fumbling and bumbling trying to explain football reasons for Alabama making the CFP during these televised dog and pony shows on ESPN, the truth is that billionaires in suits have more of an influence on the 12-team field than anything that happens with the players in pads.

Total bull shit

 

[sean]

Go cry somewhere else, Quinn. Nobody cares what you think, anymore.

 

[Rolltide24]

Quinn is a legend? That’s sad.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

Total bull shit

The website address told me that.

 

[OldPlayer]

Waaaaah! Waaaaah!

 

[TerryP]

The website address told me that.

+1

 

[im4uainva]

This is what the expansion gave you, N.D. No matter what the PTB's do, we're going to have unhappy teams. Should have just kept the BCS system and at least the most deserving (and fewest) teams will have a reason to gripe. I just hope Bama at least beats OU in order to at a minimum give justification of being in the Playoffs. Lose, and ND will have a field day. FOND!

ROLL TIDE!

 

[TerryP]

Total bull shit

His comments offered insight into why the Alabama Crimson Tide were chosen over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish ......

The biggest insight is that there is always a brand-tradition bias (‘pointing to your logo’) which inherently favors blue bloods, legacy blue bloods and recent dominant programs.

I put it here because of the absurdity. Tim caught on quickly.

Maybe it isn't bullshit? According to this professor Notre Dame doesn't have any brand tradition and isn't a blue blood.

Here's where it gets twisted; "recent dominant programs."

Who lost to Ohio State in January? I remember some game in ATL...

 

[TerryP]

FOND!

Does the O stand for off?

 

[im4uainva]

Does the O stand for off?

Yes, Sir, it certainly does.

 

[BamaFan334]

TCU having anything to say after rolling over and giving Georgia an easy Natty is laughable.

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

Brady is a Perfect example of receiving the benefit of the doubt. His entire career was fraudulent.

 

[SnakeFan]

I liked what Jon Gruden proposed on a X tweet ~10 days ago: keep the conference championship games but everyone else has to play in. That takes away most of the arguments. Another method is a BCS-like metric used from say mid-Oct through the end of the season.

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

I liked what Jon Gruden proposed on a X tweet ~10 days ago: keep the conference championship games but everyone else has to play in. That takes away most of the arguments. Another method is a BCS-like metric used from say mid-Oct through the end of the season.

BCS Metric is the way and all 12 or 16 are selected by the computers. Then you have to make sure the same old people don't try to influence the data into the computers.

No teams get a bye. Wish all games would be played in areas of good weather.

 

[OldPlayer]

I liked what Jon Gruden proposed on a X tweet ~10 days ago: keep the conference championship games but everyone else has to play in. That takes away most of the arguments. Another method is a BCS-like metric used from say mid-Oct through the end of the season.

Everyone else? IMO, you state your case through the season. If you’re on the bubble, you didn’t state your case strongly enough due to wins/losses, schedule or on field performance. No matter how many teams are included, somebody will be disappointed due to exclusion, matchup, game location or having to play on your wife’s birthday. Get over it.

 

[OldPlayer]

BCS Metric is the way and all 12 or 16 are selected by the computers. Then you have to make sure the same old people don't try to influence the data into the computers.

No teams get a bye. Wish all games would be played in areas of good weather.

You don’t remember how many people complained about the BCS formula? It wasn’t fair because of this or that. Even if EVERY team is included there will be griping because of where their team is seeded.

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

It wasn't fair because Bama was in it. Two/three years in a row that the committee has embarrassed themselves. They would be better off to let my group at Cottondale Oasis select the teams.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Yes, ESPN has a heavy hand on the scale. So does the SEC. And the Big Ten. This isn't 1970 anymore and Notre Dame doesn't have a monopoly on power. Maybe instead of bitching about it, Quinn should pressure Notre Dame to join a conference and play by the same rules as the other big boys.