Ranking Brian Kelly’s 100 Notre Dame Wins: 20-11
We get into some legit big games here as we enter the top 20. Some that were bigger matchups and others that appear to be big-time turning points for the Notre Dame football program when you look back.
20. NC State 2017: 35-14 win was only a seven point game midway through the third quarter when Julian Love returned an interception 69 yards for a Notre Dame score in their win over No. 14 NC State.
19. Northwestern 2018: 31-21 road win came in prime-time on the road against the team who would go on to win the Big Ten West that fall.
18. Miami (FL) 2010: 33-17 doesn’t do justice to the beating Michael Floyd and Harrison Smith helped lay on Miami in the 2010 Sun Bowl.
17. Pitt 2012: 29-26 3 OT win makes less sense the further removed we get from it. This one wasn’t supposed to be as difficult as it was but is one you look back on as a huge win because of the possibilities that played out that it helped keep alive.
16. LSU 2017: 21-17 win was responsible for what is easily Notre Dame’s best bowl moment of the last 25 years, when Book found Boykin.
15. USC 2015: 41-31 win came after entering the fourth quarter trailing their biggest rival, 31-24. The win helped move the Irish to 5-1.
14. Michigan State 2012: 20-3 road win over No. 10 Spartans announced Manti Te’o and rest of Notre Dame defense as one of the best nationwide.
13. Stanford 2014: 17-14 win moved the Irish to 5-0 as Everett Golson found Ben Koyack in the end zone on fourth down with just over a minute to play on a rainy day at Notre Dame Stadium.
12. Michigan State 2011:31-13 win came against eventual Big Ten runner-up after an incredibly embarrassing 0-2 start for the Fighting Irish. This win turned the tide of what had the makings of an awful season.
11. Virginia Tech 2018: 45-23 win at No. 23 Hokies might not seem like a huge deal but the Irish going on the road and handling business in a tough environment was especially huge at the time because of what had happened the previous November in Miami.
Finally the Top 10…