Despite Clemson not being far removed from its championship days, all arrows appeared to be pointing towards Notre Dame in this one. Even though I reluctantly picked the Irish to win this one, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was better off choosing Clemson as I did before the season. That doubt turned out to be correct as the Irish lost, 31-23.
For the second consecutive season, the Irish will be relegated to playing in a lesser bowl. Even with the College Football Playoff out of reach, a New Year’s Six bowl berth would have been a nice consolation prize. Instead, they’ll be in a game that far fewer people care about, and that’s not good for the program that purports to be elite.
Irish fans undoubtedly were feeling all of this and more as they took to social media after the game to voice their frustrations. Here are a few examples: