The very fact that they make this into a big deal answers their own question.
Link: https://twitter.com/i/status/1760343385737429104
Who gives af what they say...about anything?
I have no idea who the 3rd guy even is.
He got “under my skin” in a big way.
(no message)
(no message)
UMass was in the MAC about a decade ago when the MAC had an 8 yr deal at the time with ESPN….but hey, you’re point was to deflect, so I get it.
(no message)
(no message)
(no message)
(no message)
We have not lived up to our legacy. But we are still competitive.
Do you even watch ND football?
We lost 5 of last 6 regular season games in '14 and were abysmal in '16. Not easily forgettable seasons for anyone who watches the games.
ND has hardly been irrelevant most years.
Appearances in the past decade (going back to 2012). Even Weis and Davies made BCS bowls. Losing those games takes wind out of the sails, but I would hardly call Oklahoma irrelevant, and their performance over the same period is pretty similar.
..and before you say 'that's 23 years ago' remember it's 12 years more recent than ours.
My whole point is that if ND is irrelevant, then who is relevant? Only title winners?
Or as many 10-win seasons?
Or as many All-Americans?
Or as many top draft picks that turn into All-Pros (NFL is relevant to NCAA)?
Or as many CFB appearances?
Hardly any.
What does irrelevant even mean? If you can only be relevant with a title, then you have a handful of relevant teams. ND has consistently reached title games, BCS bowls and the playoffs throughout the past 40 years. For every stretch of famine, there is a stretch where they live in the 2-10 rankings. They may not win the games, but they're there. That's relevant, and when you look at who didn't get in, they deserve to be there.
ND is a middle-weght.
Because they don't exist. I'm also surprised you used Michigan instead of Ohio State. That is significant recency bias. I don't know who else you could add besides Oklahoma to the mix. Maybe Florida?
the ellipses were valid and the list may surprise (Note, I included Conf Championships as part of regular season...if this were changed OU, ND and Georgia would have one more and Bama and tosu would have a couple more and Florida would have one)
tosu 02, 06, 12, 19, 20
----------------------------------
Bama 09, 16, 18, 20,
Boise State 04, 06, 08, 09
-------------------------------
Clemson 15, 18, 19,
USC 04, 05, 20
FSU 13, 14, 23,
Cincinnati 09, 20 21,
--------------------
LSU 11, 19,
UCF 17, 18,
ND 12, 18,
TX 05, 09
TCU 09, 10
michigan 22, 23
Auburn 04, 10,
Utah 04, 08
-------------------
Georgia 22,
Miami 02,
OU 04,
Oregon 10,
Western Michigan 16,
San Jose St 20,
Coastal Carolina 20,
UW 23,
Hawaii 07,
Liberty 23,
Buffalo 20
But go ahead and keep waxing on about how great we are.
We’ve reached the point where people are proud of 3-4 loss seasons and rankings in the mid teens.
We do appear to be turning the corner with improved recruiting; it needs to translate to 12-0, 11-1 seasons…top 5 and top 10 finishes… CFP appearances with meaningful games where we aren’t blown out. Relevancy has many meanings. Some say consistent Top 10 finishes make us relevant. Others are happy with 3-4 loss seasons and an unproven coach.
Textbook strawman. Some fans give Marcus Freeman leeway, as he is a first-time coach and has shown a lot of promise. Brian Kelly left a solid foundation, but I don't think you can give MF a full grade until this year. He's elevated our recruiting and now has 2 elite coordinators who could coach almost anywhere. If we don't make the playoffs, I think almost every fan will be disappointed barring some catastrophic injuries.
"We do appear to be turning the corner with improved recruiting; it needs to translate to 12-0, 11-1 seasons…top 5 and top 10 finishes… CFP appearances with meaningful games where we aren’t blown out. Relevancy has many meanings. Some say consistent Top 10 finishes make us relevant. Others are happy with 3-4 loss seasons and an unproven coach."
Since 2012, we've had 8 10-wins season. 2 Undefeated regular seasons. 6 bowl wins. 2 playoff appearances. 1 title game appearance. 4 Top 10 EOY rankings and 3 Top 5 EOY Rankings.
When you're not in a conference, the only title you can win is a NC. But there are other measures of relevance, and ND has hit every other one including Title Game appearances, BCS bowls, and Playoff appearances.
In 12 years we’ve won 6 bowl games…woohoo
Stephen A. Isn’t the only one who thinks we are irrelevant
Therein lies the problem.
10 million people tuned in to watch Ohio State play an irrelevant team last Fall.
Louisville has only sold out a home game 2x in the past 5 years: both times the opponent were ND. In that time frame, FSU, Clemson & Louisville's arch rival, Kentucky all played @ Louisville.
Weird so many people showed up to watch Louisville play an irrelevant team
You listen to talk shows on ESPN & probably hang on every word Stephan A. Loudmouth has to say so obviously your intellect isn't among the highest.
Gee, I wonder why it sold out. The only time I even see Stephen A’s face is on the TV at the gym. 36 years since an NC. That’s where the lack of relevancy is coming from.
Oh, and obnoxious Notre Dame fans.
(no message)
(no message)
Michigan lost to Appalachian State (2007) and the program was buried by many and even more recently there was a push to fire Harbaugh (2020) (their fans asked the same questions)... but a BIG10 championship, Playoff bid, and now a championship later, they showed they were ALWAYS a part of College Football Royalty.
ND is similar and the sports world will jump on the band wagon when ND has a championship caliber team. It appears NIL is the opportunity for ND to fill team weaknesses to field a complete, championship level team. I hope it is soon.
(no message)
If no, then some would say you "really don't want to do what it takes to win". As the old SEC mantra goes: "If you are cheating, you aren't trying."
Personally, one of the things I love about ND is their integrity and attempts to do things the RIGHT way (NOTE: I do know that ND is not perfect)... but I also realize THAT often makes winning harder. As much as I love to win, I want to win the right way. We would be hard pressed to find a school who has won the National Championship in the past 20 years that has been willing to make that same sacrifice.
(no message)
NOT been under contract with ESPN? Which network is this claim of irrelevance coming from?
I think you will have your answer if you answer those two questions correctly.
ND is very relevant, and ND shouldn’t cheat to win like some others.
(no message)
Life couldn’t go on if they did and we weren’t beholden to NBC
That makes us great!! Helps us win games, national championships etc.
Oh wait.
ion. ND has always been part of the competition to ESPN. Its that simple - even you should get it if you try real hard.
ND has to have a deal with someone, so it’s irrelevant from the perspective of having to be beholden to a deal. We have to be beholden to someone, and personally, I would have picked the strongest partner at each contract renegotiation. Imagine what ESPN’s support over the past 30 years could have accomplished. That would have been what I would have done. But either way, ND is a very relevant Big Dog which is exactly why Smith chose it as a target for ratings. The Troll Brigade will just have to deal with it.