We've seen it before, right? Was this any different than 2012? Hell I think you could argue it was far better because at least ND was competitive for a quarter and then some. In 2012, that game was 28-0 at half and 35-0 in the 3rdQ before ND scored. Just because they scored 14 pts to outdo the 3 tonight is meaningless. Oregon St was 41-3 until a late score made it 41-9. Hell skip bowl games and go to regular season games. 2002 and 2006 vs USC, 2006 vs Michigan, 2017 vs Miami.
My point in all of this is...why was this fan base so confident in an ND victory, at least based on the prediction score thread, when the history of meltdowns was staring them right in the face? I certainly wanted them to win tonight, regardless of whether I thought they could win the championship game, but I certainly don't think anyone should debate every aspect of the program when they should not be that shocked about the outcome, nor all that confident it will ever change. It has been 25 years and counting, and I think there are only a handful of coaches that can turn this around and deliver this fan base the championship it so craves and deserves. But as i asked elsewhere, who are the coaches, and I think we all know the likely names, and what will it cost the program, not referring to money, to bring in one of those few coaches?