"They gotta stop bending over backwards": Big Ten analyst sounds off on Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame being coddled

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish are in a unique spot compared to other Division I football programs. They are not part of a conference, and as a result, do not need to focus on conference championships. This can be beneficial because it means they do not need to play an extra game before the College Football Playoff.

On Wednesday, a new episode of "Locked On Big 10" was released. In the episode, analyst Craig Shemon spoke about how the Fighting Irish need to join a conference. He does not want the NCAA coddling them anymore.

"It is ridiculous how the college football world keeps coddling Notre Dame football," Shemon said (at 0:05). "The latest playoff seeding adjustments is further proof of this and Notre Dame joining the Big Ten has been put on the back burner, for now. They gotta stop bending over backwards for Notre Dame football.

"I'm sick and tired of college football bending over backwards to, intentionally or unintentionally, give Notre Dame a competitive advantage by having one set of rules for its 133 Division I FBS teams and another set of rules for Notre Dame. They need to get in a conference like everybody else."

Shemon then spoke about something he likes about the expansion of the College Football Playoff, despite his general disdain for the expansion.

"The one good thing about the 12-team format from last year is the fact that Notre Dame could not get higher than a five-seed," Shemon said. "Notre Dame could not get a first-round bye because those were reserved for conference champions."

Notre Dame will benefit from the changes to the college football playoff format for next season

While the Fighting Irish did not have the opportunity to earn a bye last year, that is changing heading into the 2025 season. On Thursday, it was announced that the College Football Playoff will move to a straight seeding model. In this model, the top four teams, regardless of whether they won their conference, will earn first-round byes.

All 12 teams in the College Football Playoff will be seeded based on how they are ranked by the selection committee. While the five highest-ranked conference champions will still be guaranteed playoff berths, they will not be guaranteed a high seed. So, while the Fighting Irish could not earn a bye last season because they did not play in a conference, they will have a chance to do so next season.