There’s no question Notre Dame is one of the biggest brands in college football. But how much longer can it retain that status? It’s a question worth asking as its last national championship gets further and further away.
Andy Staples of On3 revealed the programs he believes to be the blue bloods in college football. Notre Dame made the cut alongside Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Penn State and USC. With the possible exception of one or two, they all belong on the list.
However, in explaining his reason for picking the Irish, Staples did so with some caution mixed in:
“The Fighting Irish dominated the sport for generations, but they haven’t won a national title since 1988. So why are they still on this list? Because Brian Kelly made them nationally competitive again by taking them to a BCS national title game and two CFP appearances. In the era of the 12-team College Football Playoff, though, Notre Dame is going to have to actually win some of these high-stakes postseason games to stay on the list.”
So the Irish’s future as a blue blood rests in the hands of [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and his staff with the support of [autotag]Pete Bevacqua[/autotag]. The fan base won’t be happy if he can’t sustain that tradition of excellence, and that also could mean a blow to the program’s reputation. Hopefully, he won’t let that happen.
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