by Kyle Golik
Those who pass Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, after every tough Notre Dame loss in a big game have to wonder when the ‘echoes’ will finally awaken. Notre Dame faithful are constantly reminded how they are irrelevant and the year 1988 is almost college football fans’ new cry on social media akin to that of how 1980 was for Georgia.
After last week’s news of the College Football Playoff doing a 5+7 format with the four highest ranked conference champions receiving first-round byes plus the final conference champion plus six at-larges will play in the new College Football Playoff Quarterfinal round, it seemed appropriate for First Take party to pile on the Irish.
“What if Notre Dame is No. 1? Well, first of all, that’s not going to happen. Marcus Freeman is a good coach, but they’re not going to be No. 1. But if they were, it’s their own fault!” Finebaum exclaimed with vitriol.
Let’s also examine the nonsense Finebaum spews. He spent years grinding on Jim Harbaugh and Michigan for not winning big or being able to beat Ohio State. These quick takes are fine when you are stirring the pot on Alabama radio between Iron Bowl rivals but fall short when you realize how difficult it was to truly dethrone Ohio State.
The Connor Stalions saga didn’t help Michigan with Finebaum; he simply doubled down and doubted Michigan, but when Michigan took it to the Crimson Tide and retired Nick Saban in a similar vein to how pro wrestling retirement matches go, Finebaum was left to reverse course and came across with sour grapes and pouted similar to Lou Holtz when Alabama handed Notre Dame its soul.
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After Finebaum continued to vomit out inane statements, “The Mouth From The South” yielded his microphone to the apparent “Mouth From The North” Stephen A. Smith, who, to his credit, did basic arithmetic on the fly in his rant:
“I’d just like to throw out this question: You talk about you have no sympathy for Notre Dame. Why are they even relevant?” Smith asked. “Can somebody answer that question for me? The Notre Dame Fighting Irish in college football have not won a championship since 1988.
If my math is correct, that’s 36 years without a national championship.”
— Stephen A. Smith on First Take
He continued. “Thirty-six years ago, I was graduating from high school. Had an afro. Hairline was two feet forward. Are you ready for this, Doggie [Russo]? You had just started with Mike Francesa on the FAN in New York City. That’s how long ago that was! That’s the last time these brothers was relevant.”
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 23, 2024
Since Smith brought up his prep career, there might be a reason he averaged 1.5 points per game as an athlete. His take was on par with his subpar prep career.
I am willing to bet, with ESPN’s vested interest in the SEC, Tennessee, Finebaum’s alma mater, has been more relevant than Notre Dame. The Volunteers have finished in the Top 10 only once this century, and ESPN will milk all the 2022 season was worth to justify Volunteer relevancy over Notre Dame.
ESPN is notorious for discrediting others’ greatness to crown someone else. They marginalize others by simple factors versus explaining other cases.
Smith, when you bring up LeBron and Jordan, will quickly run to the rings argument and go 6-0 faster than anyone. He misses the big picture on why LeBron is great.
Smith and others deride LeBron’s string of eight consecutive Finals appearances for the losses. What is often missed is failing to appreciate the difficulty of overcoming defeat and refocusing, doing the work to get back there. To seemingly have done it over and over again and led teams back to the championship, when often the pain of defeat can consume a team, might be LeBron’s strength.
In a similar vein, I revere Jack Nicklaus’ record of 19 second-place finishes in Major tournaments over his 18 championships because of his ability to handle defeat and refocus for the next tournament. That detail and dedication to greatness is often overlooked because it is easy to be the front runner and obtain greatness; it’s harder to win, then lose, then rise again.
Circling back to Notre Dame, it has lost, and it is well chronicled the setbacks since 1988 from “Rocket’s Return That Wasn’t,” 1993 Boston College, the collapse against Florida State in the 1996 Orange Bowl, BCS bowl demolitions by SEC powers LSU and Alabama, and two big-time defeats in the College Football Playoff to eventual national champions Clemson and Alabama, to say Notre Dame has lost is an understatement, but they will rise again.
The resolve in South Bend is there to become No. 1 again there is no denying it. That is why the fans believe and why NBC pays the Irish a premium for their football brand because it matters.
Also, think about this: if and when Notre Dame does win big and often again, what is their product now worth? If it is worth this much now with the perceived nearly four decades of losing and title drought, what will it be worth when the Irish strikes gold?
If, for some reason, Smith were to read this piece, he would probably shout and talk above me. That is just his style for entertainment purposes. That is the style of clown makeup he wears. My only response to him would be, “you had an opportunity to rebuke what Finebaum and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo have said, and you chose not to. You chose to pile on and make insane observations.”
Like I mentioned about Nicklaus and LeBron, Notre Dame has, over the years, found a way all the way back. It hasn’t had the “luck of the Irish” in those moments. It also continues to demonstrate how relevant Notre Dame is and always will be.
