photo credit Jeremy Reper, USA Today Sport Fighting Irish Wire
SOUTH BEND, IN
Football fans and Roman Catholics were shocked today when the Pope publicly announced Marcus Freeman’s penance for missing the playoffs. Notre Dame must decline their bowl invitation. And that’s exactly what Coach Freeman did. Notre Dame will decline the invitation to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. While many were unaware such a bowl existed, Coach Freeman said, “It’s all for the best.”
At today’s press conference, Freeman supported the Pope’s decision. He said Notre Dame has a renewed focus on “losing to a lower ranked team in the 2026 National Championship.”
The decision raised questions several questions. Was this really a religious obligation? Is Marcus Freeman leaving for the NFL? Is Notre Dame afraid Catholics can’t compete with Mormons?
Marcus Freeman, already rumored to be on several NFL shortlists, explained, “We’re not ducking BYU. We’re not that childish. It’s just that if we can’t be in the playoffs we don’t want to play at all.”
NFL recruiters already sense an opportunity. The New York Giants recently fired Brian Daboll mid-season after going 2-8. Joe Schoen, general manager of the Giants, showed interest in Freeman. “We don’t need to win every game,” he said, “but if we could just win half our games. That would be a nice improvement.”
Fans are split down the middle. Some applauded the bold refusal, declaring it “the first time they could afford tickets to a Notre Dame game.” Another fan said, “Every Saturday I have to decide if I want to watch the game, or have a beer. I can’t do both.” Others lamented losing the opportunity to watch their team lose in a stadium half-filled with disinterested locals.
As for Freeman, he remains coy. “I’m focused on 2026,” he said, before casually browsing Zillow listings in Chicago and New York.
Notre Dame opted out of the bowl season, but they’ve secured something far sweeter: endless off-season drama.