23andCounting

Stop. Notre Dame proceeded to dominate the best teams on their schedule, winding up with the lone loss. They then proved their worth by blowing through the Big 10 and the SEC in route to a finals appearance. Quit bringing up last year and NIU. There's no debate there. You're comparing a championship caliber team to a three loss Bama team with two embarrassing losses that's being coddled by ESPN. You know you don't have a leg to stand on, you just enjoy the banter. Bama barely beat Auburn. Stop with this nonsense. You're embarrassing yourself.

They got wasted. Big difference.

I would say that's all the more reason to cheer for whoever you want. Not going to go into all of the reasons why I'm a supporter of Notre Dame. But IU is easy to root for because the garnish the state brand, where I happen to live. Purdue is easy to root for because my hometown of Fort Wayne is a recruiting hotbed for them in all sports. I really don't see what the big deal is.

Michigan being ranked 8th just mean I root for them when they play Alabama who is ranked 63rd. Imagine a Notre Dame grad with a son who goes to Purdue on football scholarship and a daughter who goes to IU on academic scholarship. That guy probably has a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. I wonder what kind of wisdom @temptation would give that guy.

I have three if you must know. One is upstairs making the bed, one is in the kitchen making lunch, and one is giving me a foot massage. But I do love them all the same, so that's an unfair question.

25-10 on the road? That's all you have? It was widely accepted that the Irish didn't play their best that day. I'd call that impressive.

Barely losing to Miami and A&M is better than getting utterly manhandled by Georgia and Florida State, right?

You wear me out, but you do make me laugh (lighting yourself on fire), so thanks for that. Just thought it was interesting that prominent sports figures like Vitale and Barkley agree with Nick Saban and film specialist Brooks Austin. That's all. Not trying to purposely make you angry, it's Sunday after all. The fans aren't the victims here, it's the players. Our biggest gripe isn't being left out of the Top 12. Our gripe is being led on for WEEKS that we were the 9th best team in the country only to have the CFPS change their mind at the last minute after the the Irish crushed everyone in their path. Put yourself in the player's position. Forget the fans. Good Lord. Not everyone loves one team and hates everyone else Temp. It's okay to root for others, it really is. Michigan is my 8th favorite team. Gonna crucify me for that?

I get that they are your second favorite team, but you're clearly not aligned with what is in the best interest at Notre Dame. There won't be any changes anytime soon. The university still feels that being independent is in there best interest even though you do not.

He's baiting you using words like "greed" and "weaker." Don't fall for it.

Hope you're Hoosiers do well. Hard not to root for Cignetti and Mendoza.

You seem very upset. Sucks that two very high profile sports figures validated what we Irish fans have been saying. I know. I think Barkley is smart enough to know that a game played back in August shouldn't have carried as much weight as what it did. I'd also argue that his experience in sports probably gives him more weight than any poster on this forum. Again, I have no issues with Miami, they showed in the last few weeks that they are playing at a high level. The sham here is Alabama and there's a high probability that this undeserving team may have cost Notre Dame their 12th national title. Reeled me in again Temp. Damn, was gonna take this Sunday off.

Had a hard time making out what Dick Vitale was saying, but I think he suggested disappointment in the committee with how they led Notre Dame on for weeks before pulling the rug out from them. A pretty cruel joke if you ask me. Charles Barkley dubbed Notre Dame as potentially the third best team in the country behind Indiana and Ohio State. Said the head to head back in August against Miami shouldn't have even been a factor. Just goes to show that Irish fans aren't alone in their thinking.

I'll take whatever bet you deliver.

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@Irishman really took the words out of my mouth. Much respect for Michigan. Again, I might change my mind after a thorough investigation. But for now, I'm going to roll with bad luck. And for the record, every university, including Indiana, has a bombshell blonde somewhere on their staff, normally in recruiting. Go ahead and read between the lines. Relevant with or without last year's title. Football is better when the Wolverines are in the conversation.

They've been baiting us with that one for years. Oh well. Think I'll head to Rack n Helens for a sausage roll.

To the Catholic Cathedral grad, Notre Dame hater's defense, his dislike for the Irish goes back years. Sounds weird, I know.

You're being reeled in with: "Path of least resistance" and "very weak schedule." Don't fall for it.

You're ties to the program are so strong you know this to be fact? 2027: Auburn and Clemson: Both strong programs when they were scheduled 2028: Texas, Auburn, Clemson, and Miami 2029: Alabama, Texas, Florida State, and Clemson 2030: Indiana, Alabama, Clemson, and Florida State 2031: Clemson, Indiana, Florida, and Miami Everyone of those programs are one move away from being national title contenders. Is it just coincidence that the best ACC teams.......Clemson, Miami, Florida State, and Pittsburgh are the most frequent ACC visitors on ND's schedule? The agreement was five games and Notre Dame went after the best teams. When ND inked with the ACC, Clemson was the best team in the country.

One can only wonder about the basketball program now. I thought Louisville had issues. Michigan might take the cake. Just an observation. No ill will toward the Wolverines. And as I said before, could just be bad luck in hiring men with character issues.

I always felt that 16 teams would water it down. But after seeing a legitimate title contender eliminated, I agree that we're on our way to 16. This hatred for Notre Dame will blow over and the best Power 4 programs will be beating down the doors to look good (win or lose) against the Irish in front of a national audience.

@Footballking16 And good luck to your Hoosiers this season. Good story, good coach, good team.

Nicest thing you said about Notre Dame all year, thanks.

That's the part I don't understand. They make national headlines on the regular. They utterly live inside the heads of some of our posters...........yet they are somehow irrelevant. I'm starting to believe relevance is just a term used to real in the fish and stir the pot. Wait, I could keep going: Top three team in the country according to Brooks Austin. "Should be playing in the playoff" according to Nick Saban. Played in the title game last year after beating Georgia and Penn State Doesn't sound like an irrelevant program. I dunno, maybe it's just me.