Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - ALERT: "Sloppy" Emails, ACC SNUBS Notre Dame?—Exclusive INSIDER DRAMA REVEALED!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Notre Dame has been the talk of college football for the past three days. Kenton and I have said our piece. We want to bring in the Irish point of view. You are Locked-on ACCC, your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Shout out to the Everydayers and thank you so much for making Locked-on ACC your first listen. We're available free wherever you get your podcast. We're on YouTube.

Starting point is 00:00:35 We're part of the number one Locked-on. podcast network, your team every day. Today's episode is brought to you by Fanduel. If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit Fanduel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long on this loaded episode. We'll talk about suddenly Jim Phillips, the ACC commission is calling for changes to the college football playoff format and to the ACC's tiebreaker format. But we'll talk a lot about Notre Dame with our special guest.

Starting point is 00:01:03 Are the Irish going to leave the ACC sooner or later? why Notre Dame is angry, and I think at least part of it is very justified why they're angry. We've gotten into that. But let's bring in our special guest for this episode. We're so thankful he's taking time with us. He is Sean Davis, co-host of the Lucky Lefty Pod with Malik Zaire, and he's a recruiting analyst for Irish Breakdown.com. All right, so Sean, let me give you your perspective,

Starting point is 00:01:29 because the Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bavakwa has had big appearances over the last couple days. He was on with Dan Patrick. He had a press conference on Tuesday that everybody is talking about. And a lot of people out there are not really saying nice things about Bavakwa's little media tour. So how do you see it from your perspective? The one word that should definitely be apparent to everyone is naivete. No one should be naive to how this thing played out. And I'll be honest with you. A lot of people took angst with me, Alex and Kenton, because three weeks ago on our podcast, I warned Notre Dame fans that this was going to happen. And I warned them, look at the breadcrumbs, look at what the ACC is doing, look at the movement behind and in front of Notre Dame and how Notre Dame

Starting point is 00:02:24 is being positioned. And I said, we cannot be upset and be naive to the fact that we had, two opportunities to seal a bid to the CFP. One play separates Notre Dame from the college football playoff. Fourth in goal against Texas A&M from the 11th yard line. That's it. It's as simple as that. We can talk about the officials blew the holding call. We could talk about all the other things.

Starting point is 00:02:53 Notre Dame had a six-point lead kicking off to Texas A&M, and the defense had an opportunity, 89 yards to stop them from scoring. And they didn't get it done. And they allowed the fight to go to the scorecards. And you never want to allow the fight to go to the scorecards. So we can't be naive about how things happen. And Jack Swarbrick is one of the four architects of the college football playoff. However, he is no longer actively part of that.

Starting point is 00:03:25 Pete Bovacqua has taken his place. and the initial iteration of the college football playoff committee had four voices that were pro Notre Dame in there at the time. Now there are none. So we have to be honest about the conditions by which this decision came down. No one honestly that I've talked to, Alex, I'm talking about media, former players. No one is really upset with Miami. No one is upset with Miami. No one is upset with Miami. being in the college football playoff. Notre Dame took it on the chin. That's something they have to deal with.

Starting point is 00:04:03 And I think Pete Bovacqua has done a pretty good job. Maybe he could have been a little bit more concise, explaining that we're upset about the process. We're upset about the process. Don't tell us for weeks that we're in. Don't tell us for weeks that we're better than Alabama. Then after a subbar performance by Alabama, you allow them to jump us knowing that we're not going to play the following week and by which

Starting point is 00:04:31 won't be able to put up a fight. And now Miami is like hot on our tails. And the only thing that can be a determining factor now is, da-da-da-da-da-ha head when it should have been a determining factor between Notre Dame and Miami the previous weeks, the process, the corruption. And then I think there's a lot of confusion right now, honestly, because people are intertwining different arguments. Like Notre Dame is not whining about the ACC because of Sunday. Notre Dame reached out to the ACC weeks ago about the way Jim Phillips was handling the situation behind the scenes with what Notre Dame perceived, not so much as being pro- Miami and arguing. for their team to get into the college football playoff, but doing it in such a way that is detrimental to Notre Dame, who is your biggest or one of your most important business partners, which

Starting point is 00:05:38 people have to listen to that. When Pete Bovacqua talked about the situation, he said one of the most important business partners. So that lets you know how Notre Dame was looking at the situation, not on the field, but they're looking at the situation as a business partner. So you can't conflate that. His conversation about the ACC has absolutely nothing to do with what went down on Sunday. It has everything to do with what Notre Dame weeks ago contacted the ACC and warned them that they had issue with the way things were being done. and Jim Phillips in the ACC ignored that and doubled down.

Starting point is 00:06:24 And in the final four days leading up to the selection, they played the game on the ACC network a total of 13 times. Oh my gosh. And they did it sloppy. It's being reported on the Notre Dame side by Matt Fortuna that Notre Dame was ced in on emails either purposely or accidentally

Starting point is 00:06:49 with communication to other conferences that were pro-Myami and detrimental to Notre Dame. That's sloppy. How does that happen? So either you were silly enough to add Notre Dame to those emails or you were petty enough

Starting point is 00:07:07 to add Notre Dame's to those emails and now Notre Dame from a business standpoint if they indeed have been setting up a departure from the ACC by adding Texas, Alabama, and other SEC schools to future schedules and Pete Bovacquh admitting he's been having conversations with Greg Sanky leading up to all of this. One could surmise, oh, is Notre Dame laying the foundation to possibly leave the ACC? Yeah, that might be some breadcrumbs that lead to that. but you don't do the things that you do in the way that you do it.

Starting point is 00:07:48 I don't think anyone has a problem with Jim Phillips looking at the landscape. Three, four weeks ago, he might have thought, you know what, Miami might not make it, but at least we have SMU. And then SMU loses the cow. Now he's like, oh man, what if Duke wins? We really need to fight for Miami because we need a team in the college football playoff. No one would common sense. we would be naive to believe that the ACC wouldn't use the head to head to head to make sure

Starting point is 00:08:20 the Miami is looked at in a certain light inside the committee room. Absolutely. But you did it so sloppy that from a business standpoint, you breached the contract that you had with Notre Dame because of the way that you did it. And now, unlike Clemson, unlike Florida State, Notre Dame, has cause. Now, if they have been laying the framework, they now have cause that they won't have to pay a penalty to leave early. And they might ask for punitive damages on the back end because they feel like you've damaged their ability to make the college football playoff. All because Jim Phillips did a sloppy job. And honestly, I think he's upset because I'll be honest, Notre Dame has been moving very stealth-like and leveraging the success, forging a 12-year deal with Clemson,

Starting point is 00:09:20 when the ACC is like, hey, what are you doing? Coming back to the ACC after going to the National Championship game and saying, hey, we would like to play Florida State and Miami more often for them to be more natural rivals in our ACC schedule than playing weight force and the other teams that you give us. And Jim Phillips. Pellas probably didn't like it. He probably doesn't like the way Notre Dame and people of Backel have been moving, which is strange because he literally got his start on the administrative side at Notre Dame. That's right.

Starting point is 00:09:57 He launched his career at Notre Dame. He cut his teeth at Notre Dame, went on, was very successful, restoring that Northern Illinois football program, and then going on to Northwestern, did an incredible job, not only with Northwestern football, Pat Fitzgerald, but with Chris Collins and resurrecting the basketball program did a fantastic job. And he's a Chicago guy, Chicago ties, Midwest ties, his son graduated from Notre Dame. There are so many connections to Notre Dame that it leads you to believe what is it? What is on the inside of Jim Phillips that has him acting this way?

Starting point is 00:10:36 What is it? And not only that, he's either super sloth, or he's just downright petty. And that is... My money's unsloppy, by the way. My money's unsloppy. Well, I do want to push back on one thing you said there. The idea that the contract was breached by the actions of the ACC, when you talk breach of contract, now we're getting into the league leads.

Starting point is 00:11:01 Now we need to, things need to arise to a certain level that goes beyond like, hey, this is how we feel it. This is what the perception is to show a clear. and undoubtable. Like, hey, this is what you are doing. You are undermining this entity's ability to make money. You're undermining this entity's ability to do a certain thing. When, in all fairness, you can make the argument that everything that the

Starting point is 00:11:28 ACC did, even the communications on which they were copied to, I mean, those are just things stating, this is for my team. Playing that game on the loop is just saying, this is what Miami did. This is Miami's best win. This is a playoff bubble team, best win, regardless of who is on the losing end of it, even if that best win was against Florida State. Would Florida State didn't have a claim to say, well, the ACC's trying to hurt us by playing Miami? No. It would simply be, well, this is Miami's best win, and we're showing you guys, hey, this is what Miami has done.

Starting point is 00:12:04 And beyond that, into communication that has gone out, that has said or that it's been there, detrimental to Notre Dame. I would need to see the specifics of that to see like, okay, this may be at that level. But playing the game or showing their resumes against one another, you're going to have a tough time in court saying, hey, this rises to the level of we get to leave scotch free and you're going to owe us punitive damages on the back end for, again, just stating objective reality. It's a difference if they're saying, show everyone of Marcus Freeman's mistackles from Ohio State forward. show us every single time a player from Notre Dame

Starting point is 00:12:44 has been in trouble with the law since the year 2000. Okay, that's a different story. All right. That's a very, very different thing. And that, to me, would be like, all right, that's egregious, that's targeted, that's unnecessary. But what I saw was a conference saying, this is a four member,

Starting point is 00:13:00 and we need this four member to be into the playoffs. So we're going to play this four member's best win. We're going to compare this four member's resume against the other teams that we know are on the bubbles resume. Hey, I totally agree with everything you said, Kenton, I have no problem with that. I'm just telling you, knowing the way that Notre Dame operates, let it get to discovery. Notre Dame is not bringing it up. They're not putting it out there just because they don't have, they have something.

Starting point is 00:13:29 They know something and let it get to discovery. They're going to be stealth-like. And that's why a lot of people thought that yesterday's, press conference is going to be this deaf, death, death conference to the ACC. And that's just not the way people of aqua, Jack Swarbrick, and Notre Dame move. They don't. There's a reason. I encourage people. You can be upset about Notre Dame. You could talk about the brand not having power. I ask you, 30 years ago, why were they in the room when decisions were made? When they moved to the BCS era, why were they in the room? We know everybody despise them.

Starting point is 00:14:07 them. We know the other conferences despises them in the way they stand up, the arrogance, not wanting to join conferences, independence. No one likes them. The vast majority of college football fans, executive school presidents, conferences, they don't like them for whatever reason. But why are they always allowed to be around when the major decisions are taking place? Because for some reason, they know we need them. For whatever reason, whatever information they have, they have that seat they have that power for whatever reason we can all speculate why jack sworebrick one of the architects of the playoffs Notre Dame has the seat how in the world were they able to leverage this new memorandum that if they're in the top 12 they're automatically in when everybody in the room

Starting point is 00:15:02 doesn't want to capitulate how were they able to negotiate can we talk about it all the time you're only as good or you only as worth as much as you can negotiate. Notre Dame is able to negotiate these things. Obviously that shows the value that they have in that room and the value of the brand. And they're doing it without winning since 1988, which other people need to win in order to max out the brand. Look, I understand the angst. I understand the disappointment. I understand the disappointment with fans the way Notre Dame, you're naive if you thought Notre Dame was going to take this line down. Once again, that's that word. Why is everyone shocked that Pete Blahua is operating, the way he's operating, responding the way he's responding? And I'm sure we're going to

Starting point is 00:15:54 talk about the opt out by the players and Marcus Freeman from the bowl game, from the Pop-Tart bowl. Look, this is where they are. This is where they are. And unfortunately, I tell Notre Dame fans and they get mad at me, you didn't handle your business. That's the end of that discussion as far as the playoff. You didn't handle your business. If you handle the business, we're not having this discussion. You lost in Miami in a close game. You had an opportunity on two occasions to have a double-digit lead late in the fourth quarter against Texas A&M. You blew that. You were up six. You had a chance to stop them from going the length of the field. You blew that. You had a penalty. backed up to the 11 yard line on fourth down you couldn't stop them on fourth and 11 or fourth and go

Starting point is 00:16:42 what else do you want you had plenty and ample opportunity to seal the deal and to get into the college football playoff you didn't take care of business on the field now is there an argument about Alabama that's totally open that's totally open especially if you just want to look at how both teams were playing the last four games of the season forget the way Alabama got trounced the issue is truly how do you and this is where collusion would come up in my mind how do you watch Alabama struggle against Auburn the way they did and use that to move them in front of Notre Dame who was in front of Alabama the previous weeks that was the performance that made you say ah Alabama's better than Notre Dame come on now

Starting point is 00:17:37 No, it's not making sense. That's what I will bookmark, okay, this is where things start to go left. It has nothing to do with Miami. That right there. And the SEC having five teams in the playoff, this is where my antennas go up. Now, let's have discovery on the SEC. Let's have discovery on Eurocheck. And then for him, when he talked to the media on Sunday, guys, he says, Alabama came out strong and had a strong first.

Starting point is 00:18:07 half against their rival and was up 17 as if okay that's where discussion ends they had a strong first half that for me everything else with jim phillips the acc like you said kenton that's for nother dame and the acc to figure out legally yeah let the lawyers take care of that well i want to get into something else here uh with sean uh when we come back because he mentioned the opt out of the pop tart Bowl. That's something that I think I want to hear, I want to hear Sean's opinion on that. Plus, if Notre Dame were to exit

Starting point is 00:18:42 the ACC, what would the next move be? You want to keep it locked right here. We're only getting started on this brand new episode of Locked on ACC. Folks, NFL Sundays move fast. One big play and suddenly everything feels different. That's what makes live betting with Fanduel so exciting.

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Starting point is 00:19:52 You already live your team every day. Now, take it up a level and go ad free. Join the everyday or club today and show Lockda and see Lockdown ACC with no interruptions, members-only discord access, and more, all for just $5 a month or $50 a year. Go to Lockdownacc.com or check. out the link in the show notes to learn more. Alex Dono and Kenton Gibbs, joined by Sean Davis talking some Notre Dame. All right. So, Sean, if, you know, you talk about the relationship with the

Starting point is 00:20:21 ACC, if Notre Dame were to at some point cut ties with the ACC, where do you think they should or would go? And would they, you know, do a similar scheduling agreement or might they actually fully join a conference? Honestly, I don't see them making a move. to fully join a conference, especially with their new memorandum kicking in. So it will probably be five to six years out before they start moving in that direction. If I had to call it right now, Alex and Kenton, the SEC, will probably be the partner. There is no match. There's no love that exists between the current leadership of the Big Ten and Notre Dame.

Starting point is 00:21:03 That's still some angst on when Notre Dame was ready to join the Big Ten and Michigan and some of the other. Northwestern and some other leaders kind of put the cabosh on that happening. And so it would definitely be a better fit for the SEC. Now, the bigger question is Texas, Alabama, some of the big, I think Vanderbilt's being added. They've already played Georgia. They played Texas A&M. So you see they've been going ahead and Marcus Freeman has asked people of ACA to add more SEC teams to the schedule. And it's something very interesting happening because, Kenton, you mentioned once before when you were with us about the national view of

Starting point is 00:21:49 the ACC and how that impacts Notre Dame, right? With a national view of the ACC currently in the way football is being played, Clemson on the downside of what was a proud program under Dabo. How does that impact Notre Dame? when they're in the committee room. How are they looking at that schedule? And so Marcus Freeman has made it a point to go to people of Aquin and say, we want more SEC teams in our non-conference schedule. And so the SEC would probably be the better fit guys, honestly at this point in time. Some buzz out there about the Big 12. Why would you leave the ACC to go to the Big 12? That doesn't

Starting point is 00:22:31 make any sense. Doesn't make any sense as far as partnership. Doesn't make sense as far as branding and marketing and it definitely doesn't make financial sense it just doesn't everything seems a line up for what noughton wants to do with people valka and marcus freeman if they do make a change and leave it probably would be the cc but like i said i don't see that in the near future that's somewhere four to six years down the line i want to give one warning and one warning only all right when i think about memorandums and all that good stuff you remember the alliance And what that was? It was a memorandum of understanding.

Starting point is 00:23:13 That's quite literally what it was. It was a memorandum of understanding between conferences to say, hey, we're going to, you know, have an agreement to play each other and we're not going to pollure teams. I think that, you know, you want to talk about public reception right now. I don't think the public perception around Notre Dame has ever been lower than what it is at this very moment. I think that it is lower now. We're going to get into those reasons and the playoff situation in the same. second here, but I would say memorandum of understanding leads into a binding contract. You're not at the body contract page yet, and we're getting a lot of tension and traction

Starting point is 00:23:48 for the rest of the nation. Like, now what? Now hold the hell on. Why are those guys getting this deal? I can understand if it was every single independent as long as you get in the top 12, but this is specifically for one team, that may be a little bit problematic. So just to throw that out there, but now about the bowl opt-out. Ask yourself, what you just said goes back to what I said. Why is Notre Dame getting all of this? Why? That's-

Starting point is 00:24:19 Well, we know why. But, Sean, that's something that we already know. In terms of they're an independent and they're one of the biggest brands in football, if Michigan were an independent, I'm sure they would get a seat at the table during all of these conversations. If Ohio State was an independent, I'm sure they would get, if Bama or Georgia, where independents, they would still get representation at that table because those are traditional blue-blood, winning, Texas.

Starting point is 00:24:44 Prime example, if they were, we've seen Texas go through conference changes and go through having their own channel and all that and being an individual while within a conference in a way that rubbed everybody the wrong way. So nobody's going to argue Notre Dame is not want to be bigger, one of the more prolific brands in college football. That would be, you will be wasting your breath to all. argue that. All I'm saying is that memorandum thing, we've seen it very recently where a memorandum was an agreement until it wasn't. Until it wasn't. Until you get that contract sign, that memorandum

Starting point is 00:25:18 means I like you and you like me. I think we should agree to do something pretty soon here. How about that? That's all I'm saying. But now, in terms of- I would agree with that. In terms of the bowl game opt-out, I'm sorry, I'll play off-off. In terms of the bowl game opt-out. Pop-Tart bowl. you know it's fun it's whimsical it's all that good stuff but i've been it's it's not really about that in this exactly i've been as well i was at the inaugural one kansas state nancy state i was down there in orlando for that game um with that being said we we sit here today and we are looking at a notre dame team that has opted out now there's a lot of different smoke and all that about

Starting point is 00:26:00 who opted out was it the administrators was it freeman was it the players i want to give you the chance to give us the full details from the Notre Dame angle. Who was the opt-out decision makers? Why was the opt-out decision made? And let's kind of build from there. So I'll start with the team being together watching selection show. And I can't even describe what that room must have been like once they realized that the committee had pulled the wool over their eyes and snatched and instantly. their season in the eyes of those players.

Starting point is 00:26:40 And I know there's a lot of confusion out there about what happened. From that standpoint, I've been told by people that cover the team, people that were close or in the room. And also, I've talked to a few parents. And what I've been told is that Marcus Freeman didn't eat was at a loss for words. He had a conversation in with people of Aqua and pretty much was like, I honestly don't know. I wasn't prepared for this. I wasn't prepared for this because they truly believe that they had been led to believe that they were going to be in.

Starting point is 00:27:22 And I thought that was naive, but I can only go by what they said. That's how they felt as they watched the selection show. And so as Marcus Freeman consistently has done. Anytime it gets to a point where he's not sure what to do. He has consistently gone to his captains. He's done it consistently. As they awaited to play Georgia and the terrorist attack took place in New Orleans, he wasn't sure what to do with his team.

Starting point is 00:27:58 He went to his captains and they made the decision led by his captains to allow his players to go spend time with their families. He did the same thing. So he was consistent. And his captains, after talking to the rest of the team, came to the decision that they must have information that we don't know. We don't want to step foot on the field, not representing who we are as a full team.

Starting point is 00:28:28 Meaning they knew Jadarian Price and Jerry Marlove weren't playing. More than likely, Emil Wagner wasn't playing. Eli Rairdon wasn't playing. And there might have been some others, rather because of opt-outs or injury, that were not going to play. So they made the decision. We don't want to step foot on the field

Starting point is 00:28:50 if it's not going to be us as we were in 2025. And so do you leave that decision up to 18 to 22-year-olds that obviously was influenced by, emotions. There's no way it wasn't influenced by emotion. Once again, let's not be naive. But if that's what you have consistently done, the process, I don't think there was anything wrong with the process and the gathering of information. But I do think, honestly, at that point in time, the adults being Marcus Freeman and Pete Bovackel probably either should have offered some wisdom

Starting point is 00:29:31 or some input or said maybe you guys should look at it this way or that way. And even, I don't know if that did or did not happen. I'm just saying what I would have liked to happen. And if the same conclusion came out of that, then I would have been fine with it, guys. I've talked to several former players. And it's pretty much split. It's close. It's probably leaning more towards, man, I rock with the decision they made.

Starting point is 00:30:01 And there are a lot of former players that are like, I don't particularly like it. But 100% of the people I've spoken to have said, regardless of whether or not they agree or disagree, they agree, I understand. I understand why they're doing it. And so for that, I think Notre Dame, like you said, Kenton nationally, they're taking the bullets. But Notre Dame is used to taking bullets nationally. They take bullets every year. maybe not under these circumstances, but they're used to being on that island, taking those bullets, and in their mindset, they're going to take those bullets and use them. They're going to use that

Starting point is 00:30:45 as fuel. Is it going to work for them? We have to wait until the 2006 version to see if that decision actually helps them. But for me, I'll be honest. I was disappointed. Just, I want to to see Notre Dame play. What Notre Dame fan doesn't want to wake up knowing that there's a game, whether it's a noon kickoff, 3.30 kickoff, or 6.30 p.m. Eastern time, knowing that they're going to run out of that tunnel and you're going to hear the fight song and watch them play. And would have been, either way, it was hurtful because on Saturday, I text people and said, Jeremiah Love has played his last game at Notre Dame. I did that on Saturday. I was warning my friends in the media, Notre Dame and Judarian Price have played their last game.

Starting point is 00:31:32 Like I said, I saw this coming three weeks ago. I knew it. Even when Texas Tech won, even when Alabama got scraped, I said, guys, it's the writings on the wall for me. And you guys need to prepare yourself. So for me, I think that decision should not have fully been left up to. And then even the letter, kind of just put everything on the players. I think the letter should have been crafted in a way where it should have been a collective decision. Well, the players, Marcus Freeman, and the school, we have all decided it should have been crafted in that way.

Starting point is 00:32:11 And it would have been better. And that's my biggest problem. Yeah. We'll continue this awesome conversation with Sean Davis. You want to keep it locked right here on Locked on ACC. My friends, let's talk about something that most Ben don't bring up, but absolutely should. stress from work, money, life. It doesn't just switch off at night.

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Starting point is 00:33:35 This feels like their election of duty by Marcus Friedman with all due respect. This feels like as a head coach, for me, there's never a decision.

Starting point is 00:33:44 If we have the opportunity to compete, if we have the opportunity to have what is tantamount to another spring ball, we are going to go through that. We are going to go through that process because I know what I've gotten

Starting point is 00:33:56 these young guys, but I get more opportunities. Because while Notre Dame is an independent and not part of a conference, you are still missing out on per NCAA guidelines. Now, if you want to be part of NCAA, you have a limit on how many practices you can have per week. That's just what it is.

Starting point is 00:34:10 You don't have any way around that. And you get an extension on that limit if you are in a bowl game. The teams that don't have bowls, they're not practicing right now. There's no option for them to say, hey, we know that we got some guys going to leave, but these guys who are coming up in the system and we want you to be the guys next year, let's get into it. This team turned that down. And I understand that this was a,

Starting point is 00:34:33 Marcus Freeman didn't know what to do so he went to the captains, but my biggest problem lies right there. You as a head coach did not know what to do. I'm an ACAC guy. I saw an undefeated team get left out. I saw an undefeated team with a ranked win in the current situation that the playoff committee deemed

Starting point is 00:34:52 you're too bad to get in. They got a ranked win in that form. And I saw them get left out. As a head coach, you saw the same thing. You were coaching college football when an undefeated team got left out. So why you were not prepared?

Starting point is 00:35:09 Why you're doing, Sean, you get paid a lot less to Marcus Freedman. You said you were warning people and preparing people for what was going to happen. And you as a head coach, who is making seven figures, did not fathom it in your mind? There's a chance that this happens.

Starting point is 00:35:25 Now there's a great chance. Not I need to prepare myself and I don't need to prepare myself for the possibility we make it. But there was no world in your mind where we, listen, I know the hair line is great and all that, but the Beijing may be seeping into your brain sales, brother. We got to do something because this is crazy, you know. So that's my biggest right, more so than with the players.

Starting point is 00:35:46 The adults in the room, to me, there should not have been a choice. They should have been prepared for this is a possibility. And if this possibility comes about, this is how we're going to roll it? Because y'all know as well as anybody, if you walk in that room and say, we're disappointed, but damn it, let's go take that disappointment out on the Cougars. What was going to be the player's answer? I'll say this to advocate for Marcus Freeman just a little bit. Notre Dame is a different place when it comes to a head coach.

Starting point is 00:36:13 I don't know how much say so. Marcus Freeman really would have had because, let's be honest, as I said before, everything is separate but still intertwined. people Vauqua versus Jim Phillips separate but still intertwined and now stigmatized because of what just happened. It just became even bigger. And so then you have now this decision of whether or not we're going to opt out. And then you have the committee and all of these things are coming together at once, all these emotions. And so I'm not sure how much. power because if Marcus Freeman says this is what we want to do and people vodka has it in his mind

Starting point is 00:37:02 like no we're not giving the ACC and the ESPN satisfaction we're not doing that what is what is he to do and I'm not alleviating him from anything you said can as the head coach you're right you it's your job to go through as a coaching staff you go through all the scenarios right before the game starts right if this happens this is how we're going to count in that and so I agree you. All of those measures should have been looked at. But I will say this. And this is going to come across is very arrogant. And Notre Dame fans, we live with that anyway. But this program is at a place. And this is not me. I mean, this is not anybody else that is spoken. This is me. And my honest opinion of something that's not being talked about, but it's very much part of what led to

Starting point is 00:37:56 for a decision in the player's mind and in the mind of everyone else. BYU does nothing for Notre Dame at this point. If they win, they're not going to get credit. If they lose, people are going to say, that's why, that's why, you know,

Starting point is 00:38:15 Clint, I've been down this road with Notre Dame have banged on teams and they never get credit. And the national landscape always says, oh, where they're BYU, where you weren't saying that leading up to the game, but now after Notre Dame beats them, oh, that's BYU.

Starting point is 00:38:33 You guys are better than them anyway. So I'm just saying now that leads to my ultimate point. This program is at a point where the truth and matter is they're chasing one or two teams. They know they're the tier right below the Ohio states and the Georgia. And the only thing that's separating them is that national championship. And the only way this team in 2025 was going to be able to be able to be. to answer or get over that ultimate hurdle was to face the teams that are in the playoff and they're not in the playoff and for them as the players and where the program is

Starting point is 00:39:10 this is going to sound very arrogant that's not worth our time no one will say that no one will say that because i could not disagree more i could not disagree why you disagree that's why everybody's coming down that's why everybody's coming down on notre dame right now because it's always worth your time. Go whoop the wheels off. And when everybody says, oh, it's a BYU team, say, but BYU only lost the Texas Tech who is in the playoff. That's it. That's who they lost to. And we went in there and destroyed them. You do realize that Notre Dame would be installed as a bigger favorite than Texas Tech was in both matchups. According to people in Vegas. And that's fun.

Starting point is 00:39:56 And if you beat them, and if you beat them by more than what Texas Tech did, if you beat them by as much as Texas Tech did, either with a full shelf or with all the players potentially out and out and all that, like, hey, Pop-Tar bowling worth my time. I don't have a problem with that. What I am saying is it's always worth it to go in there and walk the wheels off somebody. It's always worth it. I don't care who you are or what the situation is. If you got a ranked opponent, top 15 opponent, I don't care how bad the rest of the world thinks they are.

Starting point is 00:40:26 show up and whoop the wheels off that team, even if it does nothing for your brand and cash-a. At that point, you're saying, Texas should never play any bowl that's not the college football playoff. Georgia should never play in any bowl that's not the college football playoff. Bama should never play in any ball. It's not. Ohio State should, Michigan should.

Starting point is 00:40:43 Because all those teams have won national championships recently, except Texas, and are in that mode and in that zone of, we're one of the biggest brands. So it does nothing for you. That is something that I will nils. ever agree to. You got an opportunity to go out there and say, you know what, y'all didn't believe in us? Let's put a statement on it. As unfair as it was to Florida State to have to play in essence without 30 players, Georgia went out there and put a shalacking on them to the world.

Starting point is 00:41:13 This is why we deserve to be in. And nobody said, well, Florida State doesn't have their full complement of players except Florida State fans, except people who understood that context. They looked at that score and said, well, damn, Georgia is moving different. Notre Dame had their chance to have that moment, and they said, actually, I don't really feel like it. That's a problem for me. Hey, I told me understand. I get it. I get both sides of the equation.

Starting point is 00:41:42 You know what I'm saying? And I'm not emotional. And I didn't get caught up in the emotions of going back and forth from social media. Because like I said, I saw the writing on the wall. I saw the breadcrumbs. I tried to warn everybody. It's like, look, it is what it is. Just handle your business.

Starting point is 00:41:58 Like, that's my advice in life. Handle your business. Don't send it to the scorecards in Vegas because you already know they're corrupt. You already know they're corrupt and you already know the judges are always going to follow the money. That's the, so no one is sitting here. So we can stop all of this.

Starting point is 00:42:17 Not Notre Dame fans, can't stand Miami fans. No, dude, that's foolishness. The rival. is great just a tidbit i look nother dang former notaday players and miami players were kicking it and going out the dinner the week of the literally i talked to tony rice on our show he was like dude walsh and i are best of friends we talk all the time we golf together matter of fact we're going out the dinner friday night so like the build up of this hatred and stuff that look that's that on the field stuff that stuff has been left on the field years ago and i'm sure the competitors but there's

Starting point is 00:42:52 a respect. There's a respect. And so, Ken, I understand what you're saying. Just as a competitor, as a competitor, you want to compete and you want to be able to leave it on the field and have a mutual respect when you walk off the field. That has been taken away possible opportunities for seniors on Notre Dame's team to once again, don that gold helmet, Don the Jersey, all of that. I understand. I just think, honestly, I would have wanted them to take a day. Tell the Pop-Tart bowl, look, give us 24 hours. This is a highly emotional situation. We don't want to say anything right now that we might regret. Give us 24 hours. If you can wait 24 hours before you move on to somebody else, we'll have a decision made for you and then live with our decision after we've had time for cooler heads to kind of prevail, have an honest grown-up conversation about it.

Starting point is 00:43:56 And then we'll decide. I think optically, if that had happened, people would probably feel better about even if they had opted out. They would at least say, you know what? They thought about it. They alerted the Pop-Tart bowl. They gave it serious consideration. Now it just seems like, like you said, they just grabbed their ball and left the court. We don't want to play anymore.

Starting point is 00:44:18 That's optically what it looked like. even though there were some conversations that did take place. So look, I look forward to November, the first Saturday in November next year. The cane's coming down to South Bend, you know, and once again, watching that rivalry continue to bud and we'll watch to see what Notre Dame does from a business standpoint with Jim Phillips and the ACC because they're going to move stealth-like. because when he said there's permanent damage that has been done, I was like, oh, okay, wow. All right, well, we'll see what you're going to do. Well, we can't tell you how much we appreciate the time.

Starting point is 00:45:00 We thought we were going to go 20 minutes with Sean. We're pushing 50 here. This was excellent. Sean Davis, who does an awesome job alongside Malik Zaire on the Lucky Lefty Pod. He also is a recruiting analyst at Irish Breakdown.com. Thank you so much, Sean, for taking the time. Alex Kenan, I appreciate you guys so much. Thanks for having me. I learned a lot. This was great today.

Starting point is 00:45:22 Huge shout out to all the everydayers. We will talk to you again next time on another episode of Lockdown, ACC. We are part of the awesome Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

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