Notre Dame Has Earned Nothing

Tonight when Notre Dame takes the field against LSU in the Sugar Bowl, football fans all over the country will be scratching their heads.

How did Notre Dame land a spot in the BCS?

They finished 10-2, but six wins came against inferior opponents – Michigan State, Stanford, Navy, North Carolina, Air Force, and Army – all finished with losing records.

And, when the Irish actually stepped up and played a respectable opponent, got destroyed.

When they were ranked No. 2 in the nation and hosted Michigan, they were humiliated, 47-21.

After an average season, they finished their regular season with a trip out west to USC, and once again were taken apart by the Trojans, 44-24.

So, after a sub-par season in which they played two good teams and lost to those very two teams, they are rewarded with a Sugar Bowl invitation. Why?
They are Notre Dame.

If Notre Dame was not so stubborn and too good to join a conference, there is no way they are playing in the Sugar Bowl tonight.

Notre Dame is not the same team from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s that was filled with Heisman winners and national champions. Players do not come to Notre Dame because it is Notre Dame anymore.

Teams such as Texas, USC, Ohio State, and Michigan have dominated college football during the past decade, which has left Notre Dame on the outside looking in.

Notre Dame’s last bowl victory came at the end of the 1993-94 season when they narrowly defeated Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. Since then, the Irish have lost eight consecutive bowl games by an average of 16.5 points.
The Irish have not had a consistent successful head coach since Lou Holtz resigned in 1996.

During Holtz’s 10 seasons at the helm, he compiled 100 wins, two national championships, 9 straight New Year’s Day bowl appearances, and his teams finished in the top 10 in the AP poll five seasons.

In the 11 seasons since Holtz’s resignation, the Irish have been northing short of mediocrity, which includes 4 head coaches, the George O’Leary debacle, and 6 bowl defeats.

Holtz went 100-24-2 during his stay at Norte Dame. Since then, four Irish coaches have combined for a 75-46 record.

Granted, the Irish appear headed in the right direction. They appear to have found their man, Charlie Weis, who hopes to re-establish Notre Dame’s program as one the elite programs in college football.

All that said, one question still looms. Why is Notre Dame playing in a BCS game?

One answer. They are Notre Dame.