Losing in the title game will always sting
Everyone in Notre Dame nation woke up Tuesday morning feeling like they got run over by a Mack truck.
Making it to the final game, getting oh-so-close to the ultimate prize but falling short stings more than any other loss possibly could.
“Natty or bust” is a phrase that has existed around Notre Dame land forever, and for fair reasons. Being an Independent, with no conference to win means that for the last 100 years. Notre Dame’s singular goal and marking point of success was winning the title.
While winning the title is still the ultimate goal, the landscape has changed, and the way college football operates has changed. So to must our gauge of success or failure in any given season.
Notre Dame had a successful year, just not ultimate success
With the expansion of the playoff, there are levels of big bowl game postseason success to be reached that matter, even if the team doesn’t hoist the ultimate trophy. This doesn’t mean it is okay to lose the championship, this isn’t sugar-coating or excuse-making, it’s the new reality of the sport.
Notre Dame won three more major postseason games in the last month than it has won in the last 30 years combined. Do these wins mean nothing because the Irish fell short against Ohio State?
I don’t think so.
It’s fair to say Notre Dame failed in its ultimate goal, but that doesn’t mean the entire year was worthless. The Irish broke through their major bowl game losing streak and have gained some critical confidence, credibility, and experience in these pressure-packed playoff wins that will serve Freeman and his team well moving forward.
The bottom line is that the 2024 Irish team was a success, just not the ultimate success. Both of these thoughts can and do exist at the same time.
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