Why James Madison, Tulane made CFP bracket over Notre Dame, BYU

It wouldn’t be “Selection Sunday” without a few controversial picks.

After ESPN unveiled the 2025 College Football Playoff bracket on Sunday afternoon, football fans around the nation were quick to question how Group of Five squads Tulane and James Madison snuck into the 12-team playoff over powerhouses like Notre Dame and BYU. 

Fans, media personalities and analysts alike, including one Skip Bayless, lambasted the selection committee on social media for making the “ridiculous” decision to put Tulane and JMU over the “BEST 12 TEAMS IN AMERICA.”

While the inclusion of Group of Five programs is a hotly debated topic, it remains one of the committee’s easiest choices — simply because they didn’t have to decide at all.

As outlined on the College Football Playoff website, “The 12 participating teams will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, plus the next seven highest-ranked schools.”

Tulane (11–2) knocked off North Texas in the American Conference title game to lock up the No. 17 spot in the country. 

Elsewhere, JMU (12–1) toppled Troy to secure the Sun Belt championship and a No. 19 ranking. 

Aiding the Dukes’ case was, well, Duke, which shocked the nation with a stunning upset victory over No. 17-ranked Virginia in the ACC championship game that knocked the Power 4 Cavaliers out of the CFP and opened up a spot for JMU. 

Despite being ranked below No. 12 BYU and No. 9 Notre Dame in the final AP top 25 rankings, Tulane and JMU joined Indiana (Big Ten), Georgia (SEC) and Texas Tech (Big 12) as the five best-ranked conference champions, all of which received automatic bids to the playoff.

Perhaps the more surprising element of it all came down to the committee’s decision to overlook Alabama’s blowout loss in the SEC title game, but seemingly ignoring that precedent when omitting BYU from the bracket. 

The Cougars’ title loss paved the way for another controversial selection, as they were leapfrogged by Miami, which then hopped Notre Dame after being ranked behind the Fighting Irish until the last minute.

Committee chairman Hunter Yurachek defended both of the controversial selections during the ESPN selection show with host Rece Davis. 

No. 12-seeded JMU will visit No. 5 Oregon on Dec. 20, while No. 11 Tulane will face No. 6 Ole Miss in Oxford.