“I low key wish I could come back [to Notre Dame] but I have to take care of my family,” Love admitted about his future, as reported by South Bend Tribune’s Mike Berardino.

Such a confession from Love should put the rest of the league on notice. As for the Giants, they recently received a tough update on Love ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, and this statement could signal the star running back isn’t too thrilled about the teams that may draft him.

When is Love projected to go in 2026 NFL Draft?

Most mock drafts project Love to be gone in the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft. That means most candidates to select him are bottom-feeder teams. The league has a way of flipping on its head, with bad teams becoming good the very next year, but still, that may not be enough for Love to be excited about his future.

Perhaps it’s all business. Love will leave it all on the field for his professional team, but if he were given a choice, he’d much rather stay in the state of Indiana, where he became one of the best players in Fighting Irish history.

Is Love a good fit for NY Giants?

The Giants drafted their franchise running back last year when selecting Arizona State prospect Cam Skattebo. However, concerns around his health—Skattebo suffered a season-ending right ankle dislocation, fractured fibula, and ruptured deltoid ligament midway through the 2025 NFL season—place New York back in the market for a tailback to carry the load and make life easier on Jaxson Dart.

Love would do just that—and much more. Even if Skattebo is healthy to start the season, Love and he could make for the best one-two punch in the league. While incredibly skilled, Skattebo excels largely thanks to his aggressiveness.

There is no matchup he will shy away from, and he could run through a brick wall if he truly puts his mind to it. Meanwhile, Love is as slick and elusive as a running back can get. As fast as he is, he is also strong and very tough to take down.

Can the Giants draft Love?

Owning the fifth overall pick, the Giants have a very real shot at landing Love. That will lie largely on what route the Tennessee Titans (4th overall) decide to go down. Helping out Cam Ward is a must for them, and they will likely address that right out of the gate. However, whether the Titans will draft a wide receiver, offensive lineman, or Love with their first-round pick is up in the air.

As the important evaluation process for players, the Combine, gets underway, one of the top-projected running backs made a striking revelation to the media, stating that he came very close to joining the Michigan Wolverines.

“I was committed to Notre Dame, and it came to signing day. I was literally this close to going to Michigan,” Love said Friday on The Rich Eisen Show. “But I was like, ‘I’m committed to Notre Dame. I’m just going to stick with them. Even though I kind of want to go to Michigan. I kind of want to go there. I’m just going to stick it out with Notre Dame. I’m going to stick with my first choice.’”

Luckily for Marcus Freeman and the Irish, one of the most impactful running backs in recent NCAAF seasons ended up at Notre Dame, delivering standout performances that have caught the attention of numerous NFL teams.

The reason behind his final decision

While Love took his time and waited until the very last moment to decide his college football destination, there was a specific reason he ultimately chose not to join the Michigan Wolverines.

“I ain’t talk to nobody,” he said. “But my homeboy, Fredrick Moore, he went to Michigan. I was kind of like gonna go with him. And I remember it very vividly. I’m telling him, ‘I’m trying to go to Michigan.

“I’m trying to connect with y’all’s coaches. But nobody’s hitting me up. I don’t have any connection with anybody. That’s probably why I didn’t go. Nobody contacted me.”

Love’s potential Draft selection

While Love’s NFL future remains uncertain, speculation is already swirling about where he could be selected in the draft. Rumors suggest he is widely projected as a top-10 to top-15 pick.

Despite these projections, and considering potential destinations for the running back, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him land with the Chiefs (holding the No. 9 pick), as well as the Titans (No. 4) or the Commanders (No. 7).

Standing at six-feet tall, Love is a big back, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a rocket-fast player. His speed is a total difference-maker. His 4.36 time is the second-fastest time at this year’s combine, only behind Arkansas’ Mike Washington’s 4.33-second dash.

It’s not usual to be a top 10 pick if you are a running back. In fact, he could be the first RB taken in the top five since Saquon Barkley in 2018. Ashton Jeanty was the sixth-overall pick last year, though he had an underwhelming season as a rookie for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Love had an amazing farewell to his College Football career

In 2025, Notre Dame relied heavily on Love to produce. Love had 199 carries for 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. He pairs his athleticism with elite production. Love ended his College Football career with a 6.7 yards per attempt and 36 touchdowns.

Love also had some input in the passing game. He had two straight seasons of 230+ passing yards. However, that’s still the area where could improve the most. Still, he will be more than an incredible addition for any team that drafts him.

Are there any real weaknesses to Love’s game?

Jeremiyah Love is an explosive, high-cut runner whose game is defined by game-changing speed rather than interior refinement. While a dynamic playmaker, he often relies on risky plays and athletic recovery to mask his pile-moving power and choppy transitions through the hole.

His primary developmental hurdles involve improving his patience behind the line and smoothing out his lateral cuts to maintain momentum. Now, some of these aspects are fixable, others not so much. Still, Love could be a top-tier back in the NFL.

The school in South Bend, Indiana, is making its frustration visible after the Fighting Irish (10-2) were left out of the College Football Playoff for the 10-2 (6-2 ACC) Hurricanes. At the end of the day, the head-to-head record was the tiebreaker between the two rival schools. In addition to the strong decision made by Notre Dame after being left out of the CFP, Bevacqua is now aiming at the entire Atlantic Coast Conference now.

“I have tremendous respect for Miami and every team in the ACC. We were mystified by the actions of the conference… to attack their biggest business partner in football and a member of their conference in 24 other sports,” Bevacqua stated, via The Dan Patrick Show. “They have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame.

“We didn’t appreciate the fact we were singled out repeatedly and compared to Miami. Not by Miami. Miami has every right to do that. But it raised a lot of eyebrows here that the conference was taking shots at us.”

Safe to say Notre Dame is staying independent

As Notre Dame is one of a select group of independent schools in college football, Bevacqua’s statements carry much more weight and symbolism. While many fans are angry at the Selection Committee, the AD in South Bend shined a light on the ACC, hinting the conference tipped the scale in favor of Miami.

Now, it’s safe to assume Notre Dame football program won’t be joining the Atlantic Coast Conference any time soon—at least not while the wounds are still fresh and open from what some believe to be a betrayal by the ACC toward the Irish.

It’s a tale as old as time in the NCAA. Notre Dame knows what it wins and loses by staying independent. This time, the Fighting Irish have gotten the short end of the stick. As for the ACC, the conference vouched for a member school to make the CFP bracket instead of an independent program in college football, so it really can’t be blamed. However, the story might be seen quite differently in South Bend.

Bevacqua confirms eyebrow-raising clause

While the Fighting Irish are irate at the latest CFP decision, pointing the finger at collusion by the conferences, they are proving to be once bitten twice shy. Now, a report has come out indicating Notre Dame has signed a term protecting itself from ever being in the same spot again.

“I don’t want to say too much about the memorandum of understanding, but that’s certainly been reported and it’s out there, and what you said is accurate,” Bevacqua said on The Dan Patrick Show. “Correct, [if Notre Dame is ranked in the top-12 next year, the school is automatically in].”

According to a report from a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the CFP and Notre Dame, the independent school automatically clinches a playoff berth if it’s ranked 12 or higher in the final college football rankings. Though the report made much noise around the country, Bevacqua has now confirmed it. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for fans to point at what many call preferential treatment for Notre Dame.

Following the controversial decision by the CFP Selection Committee to leave Notre Dame out of the 12-team College Football Playoffs bracket, the Fighting Irish (10-2) have decided to opt out of their bowl game in the 2025 NCAA campaign.

“As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw out name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season. We appreciate all the support from out families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026,” the school’s official statement read.

Controversial decision to leave Notre Dame out

Coming into Conference Championship Saturday in college football, the Selection Committee had Notre Dame ranked above the Miami Hurricanes. However, after a weekend in which neither school played, the Committee suddenly changed its mind and decided the Canes were more deserving of the postseason berth than the Irish. In the end, the head-to-head result played a major role, with Miami’s Week 1 win over Notre Dame reigning supreme.

While that’s a reasonable argument, there was no explanation as to what actually changed during the week for the Hurricanes to be sent to the playoffs instead of the Fighting Irish. The CFP Selection Committee eventually broke its silence on the decision to send Alabama and Miami over Notre Dame, but fans in South Bend are far from satisfied with the explanation.

When was the last time Notre Dame didn’t play a bowl game?

College football fans may firmly oppose Notre Dame’s longtime stance on not joining a conference, but it has undeniably led to plenty of success for the program in Indiana. As a result, six-win seasons are virtually a gimme for the Fighting Irish.

Though for very different reasons, Notre Dame is now ending a long streak of consecutive bowl appearances. The last time the Irish finished an NCAA campaign without making a postseason appearance was in 2016, when they closed the year with a 4-8 record under Brian Kelly.

Regarding the situation, insider Pete Thamel revealed on his X account that CFP Chair Hunter Yurachek explained the reasons behind the committee’s decision to leave Marcus Freeman’s team out of this decisive stage.

“Once we moved Miami ahead of BYU, we had that side-by-side comparison (with ND) that everyone had been hungering for,” Yurachek said. “The one metric we had to fall back on was the head-to-head.” He also added that Miami and Notre Dame’s resumes “almost equal.”

Alabama makes the cut despite final-game loss

Despite a tough defeat against Georgia in their final outing, Alabama successfully earned an at-large bid and secured a spot in the newly expanded CFP field. The committee’s decision highlighted the value of its entire season resume, which included multiple impressive victories over ranked opponents and overall strength of schedule.

While the loss cost the Crimson Tide a first-round bye, their body of work was deemed strong enough to land them an opening-round matchup against Oklahoma, affirming their inclusion as one of the nation’s 12 best teams.

Hurricanes clinch a spot in the Top 12

The Miami Hurricanes cemented their return to national prominence by earning a coveted spot in the CFP, effectively dispatching rivals of the caliber of Notre Dame and BYU for inclusion.

Their impressive run through a rigorous schedule, capped by key victories, demonstrated their undeniable quality and justified their ranking in the CFP final rankings. It all started with a season opening win over Notre Dame, which ultimately gave Miami the upper hand in the committee’s decision.

By securing a bid, the Hurricanes showcased a stronger overall resume than both Notre Dame and BYU, proving they were one of the 12 most deserving teams in the country and setting up an exciting first-round showdown with Texas A&M.

1. Indiana
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Texas Tech
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M
8. Oklahoma
9. Alabama
10. Miami
11. Tulane
12. James Madison

While the top seeds didn’t take anyone by surprise, the final spots did give plenty to talk about. After days of speculation, the CFP committee ended up leaving the Notre Dame Fighting Irish out of the postseason, with BYU listed as the second team out.

Instead, Alabama and Miami were ranked higher than Notre Dame. A decision that will probably have people discussing for weeks, since these three teams had a very similar season.

College Football Playoff Bowl Games set

With the playoff field set, so are this year’s bowl games. Ohio State has been assigned the Cotton Bowl game, facing the winner of Miami vs Texas A&M. Tulane and Ole Miss will play for the right to face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, whereas Indiana will play the Rose Bowl against Alabama or Oklahoma. Texas Tech will take part in the Orange Bowl against the winner of Oregon-James Madison.

• Dec. 19, 8PM ET – Alabama @ OU
• Dec. 20, 12PM ET – Miami @ A&M
• Dec. 20, 3:30PM ET – Tulane @ Ole Miss
• Dec. 20, 7:30PM ET – JMU @ Oregon

• Dec. 31, 7:30PM ET – Cotton Bowl – Ohio State
• Jan. 1, 12PM ET – Orange Bowl – Texas Tech
• Jan. 1, 4PM ET – Rose Bowl – Indiana
• Jan. 1, 8PM ET – Sugar Bowl – Georgia

Alabama and Miami in, Notre Dame out of 2025 CFP

The Alabama Crimson Tide dropped to 10-3 after suffering a blowout loss to the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers on the national spotlight in the 2025 SEC Championship Game, yet Kalen DeBoer’s men weren’t affected by it.

Miami finished 10-2, just like Notre Dame, but the Hurricanes‘ win over the Fighting Irish in the season opener appeared to give Mario Cristobal’s team the upper hand.

With only 12 teams making the postseason, Marcus Freeman’s boys will be unable to try and redeem themselves from their loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in last year’s final. Instead, Miami will have a shot at chasing the title decider at home.

When and where will the CFP National Championship Game take place?

This season’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game will be held on Monday, January 19, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Needless to say, a golden opportunity for the Hurricanes after narrowly making the playoff field.

The fact is that the selection committee ranked Alabama and Miami higher than Notre Dame. This will surely be controversial as there is a case for Notre Dame to be good enough whether it’s because of head to head matters or overall resume. Still, it wasn’t enough for the historic program to fit into the 12-team bracket.

This is yet another example of the CFP selection committee making controversial calls, as many analysts thought Notre Dame was arguably a top 10 team to end the season. However, the fact that the Fighting Irish lost to Miami might have been the definitive factor to put the Hurricanes in. Rules to get in must be clearer.

It’s a heartbreaking moment for Notre Dame

The fact that not only was Miami in and Notre Dame excluded, but Alabama at 10-3 also got in over the Fighting Irish must be devastating for the program. Alabama also ended with a blowout loss in the SEC Championship game to Georgia. Apparently, that wasn’t enough for the selection committee to give Notre Dame the nod.

Alabama is the first three-loss team to make the CFP Playoff as an at-large participant. Also, Notre Dame was ahead of Miami for every playoff rankings iteration this year despite losing to them. All in all, this is as crushing as it could get for Notre Dame.

Other teams might also feel snubbed

While programs like Tulane and James Madison are in the CFP Playoff bracket, others like Notre Dame, Texas, BYU and Vanderbilt were left out. Records aside, there is an argument that all these four teams are better than Tulane and James Madison, but this just proves one of two things: the selection committee must change the way the teams are ranked, or the playoffs must have 16 teams as opposed to only 12 programs.

After all, the SBC and the AAC are not exactly the best conferences in College Football. The tiebreakers are also bringing a heavy dose of controversy as they are too complex. Analysts are very eager to make it simpler in a more conventional ranking system.

Freeman was explicit in stating that Notre Dame is better than other teams currently being considered for the CFP field: “It’s hard for me to believe that there are 12 better teams than Notre Dame as we consider who should be in the playoffs,” the coach told ESPN after the Stanford win.

He didn’t stop there, sending an indirect message to the CFP committee by stating: “Won 10 straight games in a row. You want the 12 best teams,” referencing Notre Dame’s strong season, which included victories over two ranked teams: No. 20 USC and No. 22 Pittsburgh.

The final decision for Notre Dame

It must be noted that the CFP committee will ultimately decide Notre Dame’s fate. While they may have had a strong season and as Freeman said, “We’re playing as well as we’ve played all season”, a strong winning streak is not a guarantee that they will compete for the national title.

If they receive another CFP opportunity, it would be the second consecutive appearance for Freeman as head coach, and only the fourth time in program history they’ve reached the CFP. Last season, they advanced all the way to the national championship game before losing.

The case against Notre Dame for the CFP

There is a possibility that Notre Dame could be left completely out of the CFP. This would happen if Alabama and BYU both win their conference titles, as Kyle Bonagura of ESPN explained in a recent article, also noting that the Irish would need other results to go their way.

“If No. 10 Alabama (SEC) and No. 11 BYU (Big 12) win their conference title games, they would clinch playoff spots, leaving Notre Dame as possibly the first team out. In that scenario, Notre Dame would need to leapfrog some team it is currently ranked behind — likely No. 8 Oklahoma, which beat LSU 17-13 on Saturday.”

The Fighting Irish will face Stanford not only as the No. 9 ranked team in the nation but also with an 86% probability (ESPN) of reaching this year’s 12-team College Football Playoff. Therefore, a victory against Stanford would significantly boost those chances.

However, if Notre Dame loses on the road against Stanford, things could get complicated. They would finish with a 10-3 record, which does not favor their playoff aspirations. Furthermore, they would then need to rely heavily on other results to avoid losing their chance to compete for the national title.

The final say rests with the CFP committee

It must be remembered that there is no guaranteed formula for Notre Dame given their current situation. Before the Stanford game, they were heavily dependent on Ohio State defeating Michigan to prevent another Big Ten team from entering the playoff picture, and the Buckeyes delivered.

Vanderbilt recently defeated Tennessee and improved their CFP chances, but they, too, must await the final decision from the committee. Miami is another team with a 10-2 record, and even BYU (11-1) is hoping to somehow be favored by the committee.

“You start thinking about the big picture and an uncertain future, that’s added pressure you don’t need,” Marcus Freeman told The Intelligencer about the CFP and the Stanford game, which the news outlet labeled a must-win scenario for Notre Dame. “This game is the Super Bowl. It can’t be lip service. Your actions have to follow that. If our actions do follow that, I’m confident we’ll be prepared for the opportunity Saturday.”

In a last-minute piece of news, it was finally confirmed that the player who had been the starting QB for Boston College will not take part from the beginning, after the last loss to Louisville where James got banged up.

His place will be taken by Dylan Lonergan, who has had significant participation throughout the season for the Eagles. Head coach Bill O’Brien continues to look for answers at a position that has struggled badly in all of its appearances.

“Sources: Boston College will start Dylan Lonergan at quarterback against No. 12 Notre Dame today. Grayson James started the past two games for the Eagles, but he got banged up against Louisville. It’s not a serious injury, and James could be available today,” the insider Pete Thamel reported via X.

A season to forget

The Boston College Eagles football program is facing a grim reality check, currently sitting at a deeply disappointing 1-7 overall record (0-5 ACC) following seven consecutive losses.

The early-season struggles have completely derailed any hope of bowl eligibility, and the road ahead offers little relief for Bill O’Brien’s squad. The team faces a brutal finishing stretch that begins with the historic rivalry game against the No. 12-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, followed by a home matchup against the surging SMU Mustangs, and a clash with the No. 8-ranked, undefeated Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

With a tough road trip to Syracuse also on the horizon, the Eagles’ final month will be a true test of their resolve against some of the toughest opponents on their schedule.