DeVonta Smith left the College Football Playoff Championship Game with an injured hand, but not before he did some serious damage. His 12 receptions and three touchdowns both are records for a BCS/CFP title game. But even as Alabama was waltzing toward another national championship against Ohio State, all was not quiet on the Notre Dame front. That’s because Brady Quinn took to Twitter and offered this food for thought:
Just throwing this out there….because you know, A LOT of hot takes after @NDFootball loss, but what did Devonta Smith have vs them? How many points did they give up…? Got it. 👍🏼
— Brady Quinn (@Brady_Quinn) January 12, 2021
Indeed, Smith caught only seven passes for 130 yards despite also scoring three touchdowns against the Irish in the semifinal. By comparison, he accumulated 215 receiving yards against the Buckeyes. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide put up 35 points in the first half of the title game after scoring 31 in the entire semifinal. Yet despite this comparison, it’s possible, dare we say likely, that Notre Dame simply ran into a buzz saw both this year and in 2018, and a couple of other sportswriters seem to agree:
2018–19 semis: Clemson beats Notre Dame by 27
Everyone: “Why is ND even in the playoff?”
The next week Clemson beats Bama by 28
2020-21 semis: Alabama beats Notre Dame by 17
Everyone: “Why is ND even in the playoff?”
The next week, Bama currently leads Ohio State by 28 https://t.co/gaZRCn7dax
— jace frederick (@JaceFrederick) January 12, 2021
For the second time in three seasons, Notre Dame has won the “SEE, THIS IS WHAT WE WERE SAYING AND YOU DIDN’T LISTEN!” trophy.
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) January 12, 2021
We could go further into detail about this, but the arguments in support of two cases are strong:
- Though the Irish might not be up there with the Alabamas and Clemsons of the world, they’re often capable of competing with them better than the next team up that’s supposedly better.
- The teams the Irish have had to go through to try and reach the mountaintop are as good as any in the history of college football.
Knock on the Irish for allegedly being frauds until the cows come home if you must. Give credit where it’s due, however. Notre Dame has been a lot better over the past decade than it was the previous one. This renaissance of sorts just so happens to coincide with a time when the best of the best in college football are getting stronger all the time.