The sting of being left out of the College Football Playoff still lingers in South Bend, and Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr is making sure his team never forgets it.

Last season, the Fighting Irish stumbled out of the gate with back-to-back losses—a 27-24 defeat to Miami and a 41-40 heartbreaker against Texas A&M. In today's cutthroat college football landscape, that was essentially a death sentence for their playoff hopes. Even though Notre Dame stormed back to win their next 10 games, and both early losses came against eventual CFP teams, the damage was done. When Selection Sunday arrived, the Irish were left watching from home while others danced.

But rather than sulk, Carr and his teammates have turned that disappointment into fuel. "It just fueled our fight to start it all over again and run it back," Carr told On3. "It wasn't enough last year even though we felt like we could have done some damage in the playoff. We've carried that with us all offseason. There are no excuses. We're not going to leave it in anybody else's hands this year."

That's the kind of fire that builds champions. And it's hard not to wonder what might have been. Miami, the team that edged out Notre Dame for that final playoff spot, went on a remarkable run all the way to the national championship game before falling to Indiana. Could the Irish have made a similar charge? Carr certainly believes so.

Now, as the 2026 season approaches, there's a new energy around this Notre Dame team. The lesson from last year is clear: you can't leave your fate in the hands of a committee. The only way to guarantee a spot is to win every game that matters. For Carr and the Fighting Irish, the snub wasn't a setback—it was a wake-up call. And they're ready to answer it.