The disrespect of the Notre Dame football program is all around us and it won’t stop until the Irish program does something about it. It didn’t happen because people don’t like the Golden Dome or because they’re jealous or because Notre Dame is elite or for any other reason. Those may be reasons to dislike Notre Dame, but the disrespect came from the same place where respect exists for other programs.
It was earned.
Notre Dame is a 17.5-point handicap on Ohio State because of the schedule Brian Kelly, Charlie Weis, Ty Willingham AND Bob Davie created rarely, if ever, appeared in these types of big moment games. The last time Kelly took his team on the road for a game against a Big Ten opponent, they were blown out 45-14.
We all remember the 2017 Miami debacle and the ACC title game against Clemson, Kelly’s two College Football Playoff appearances, the BCS title game. In those games — all against teams that were ranked in the Top 10 at the time — the Irish lost by an average score of 35.6 to 9.8.
That’s why Notre Dame is a 17.5-point handicap on Ohio State.
This is what Marcus Freeman was hired to fix. The first-year Irish coach is tasked with turning a program that has mastered the art of beating inferior opponents into one that can go toe-to-toe….and beat….the best teams in the country .
Like the big one Lou Holtz once said, respect is earned. This is especially true for Notre Dame. There are reasons some might dislike Notre Dame a little more than other programs, but Holtz’s teams did something about it. You could hate Notre Dame all you wanted, but you had to respect it. Why? Because not only did they hit you in the mouth (usually this was figurative), they beat you on the field and beat you on the board.
From 1988 to 1993, Holtz and Notre Dame went 24-8-1 against opponents who finished ranked in the Top 25. That included an absurd 14-5-1 mark against opponents who DID finish ranked in the Top 10. In six years Holtz and Notre Dame won 14 games against opponents that finished in the Top 10. Kelly did that just three times in 12 seasons.
In 11 seasons at Notre Dame, a team led by Holtz won 21 games in games against teams that were ranked in the Top 10 at the time the games were played. In Notre Dame’s 12th season, a Kelly-led team won those games just four times, and twice the Top 10 team they beat ended the season unranked (Michigan State 2012, Stanford 2018).
Davie and Willingham combined for as many wins in a combined eight seasons over top-10 teams at the time the game was played as Kelly in 12 years.
That’s why it’s disrespectful. It was earned. It was won during decades when Notre Dame looked largely uncompetitive in those big games.
If Notre Dame wants respect, it has to earn it. It will get that chance again Saturday night when the teams travel to state No. 2 of Ohio. The Irish will have another shot at that on Nov. 5 when No. 4 Clemson comes to town, and if USC is as good as the media thinks they will be, the Irish will have another shot at a top team when the season ends late. November.
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There is a possibility that Freeman will change the direction of the program, to return Notre Dame to its former glory. It won’t come with high-ranking recruiting classes and fiery speeches. It will come from what happens on the scoreboard.
Freeman arrived with that goal in mind. He hired trainers for this purpose. The preparation of this season was with this goal in mind. Now the Notre Dame team under Freeman, offensive coordinator Tommy Reesdefensive coordinator Al Golden and the rest of the Irish coaches and players have their chance to be the team that not only gets that opportunity to silence the doubters, but they take that opportunity and let the college football world know that this is, in fact, Your father’s notre. ladies
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Contents of the Irish division
Notre Dame 2022 roster
Notre Dame 2022 schedule
Notre Dame Class of 2023 Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board – Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board – Defense
Notre Dame Scholarship Offers 2023
Notre Dame Scholarship Offers 2024
2022 Signing Rankings – Offense
2022 Signing Rankings – Defense
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