For a long time now, Notre Dame has been accused of being a wannabe premier program that simply can’t beat the top dogs. As much as Irish fans might not want to hear it, these critics simply are stating facts. Since the College Football Playoff era began in 2014, the Irish have lost seven of eight games against top-10 opponents. An Ohio State fan on Twitter pointed this out while also throwing shade the Irish’s way:
Notre Dame is NOT elite. pic.twitter.com/n1Q7gHgida
— Mr. Ohio (@MrOH1O) November 3, 2020
You’ll notice the second-most recent loss came against Clemson in the 2018 Cotton Bowl, and many of the same names and faces will be on the field Saturday in South Bend. An upset win over the top-ranked team in the country not only would get revenge for that defeat, but it would convince a lot of people that this is not the same old Notre Dame that falters when the stakes are raised. There’s a lot more riding on this game than the Irish’s CFP hopes for this year. The short-term and long-term implications could be enormous.