Notre Dame Has Said “No” to Bowls Before

The reaction was immediate and intense when Notre Dame turned down a bowl this season.

Loud-mouthed talking heads forget, the program has a long history of selective postseason participation. For nearly half a century, Notre Dame did not take part in bowl games at all. Later, it approached bowls with caution and purpose rather than routine acceptance.

Notre Dame first appeared in a bowl in the 1925 Rose Bowl, where the Irish defeated Stanford 27 to 10.

After that single trip, the university stayed out of bowl games for more than forty years. From 1925 through the late 1960s, Notre Dame maintained a university policy prohibiting postseason play. The reasoning reflected the institution’s view that bowl games were commercial exhibitions that conflicted with academic priorities.

During this time, many of the program’s most storied teams finished their seasons in late November. National championships were determined by final polls at the conclusion of the regular season, so Notre Dame did not feel compelled to pursue bowl participation in order to claim national titles.

In 1969, after decades of debate on campus and growing pressure from the evolving college football landscape, Notre Dame lifted its ban on bowl appearances.

The result was an invitation to the Cotton Bowl Classic on January 1, 1970. The Irish faced top ranked Texas and lost 21 to 17. Although the outcome was disappointing for Notre Dame fans, the trip marked a significant turning point. For the first time in more than forty years, the Irish were part of the postseason conversation.

The Cotton Bowl appearance did not immediately convert Notre Dame into a frequent bowl participant. During the 1970s the athletic department remained selective, choosing only the most prominent opportunities. Still, the wall that had kept Notre Dame out of postseason play for generations had finally come down.

By the early 1980s, changes within college football were reshaping the bowl landscape. Increased television coverage, expanded postseason slots, and rising financial incentives shifted the national environment. Recruiting expectations also grew, and postseason appearances became a competitive metric.

Notre Dame’s participation gradually became consistent.

Under Lou Holtz, the Irish used bowl games to cement national relevance. The 1988 national championship season reinforced the idea that major postseason stages were essential for pursuing top rankings. Through the Bowl Coalition, the Bowl Alliance, the BCS era, and ultimately the College Football Playoff era, Notre Dame integrated fully into the structure of postseason football.

During this period the Irish appeared in major bowls at a regular pace and occasionally declined opportunities that the institution or coaching staff viewed as misaligned with the program’s standards or strategic goals. A notable example occurred after the 1996 season when Notre Dame declined a bowl bid following Lou Holtz’s resignation.

When viewed within the full history of the program, a decision to skip a bowl game in the present day is not a break from tradition. It is a brief reminder of an older identity in which Notre Dame determined its own postseason path rather than allowing expectations within the broader sport to dictate every decision.

Bowl-Game History

* denotes games I attended.