Notre Dame Football: The Unpopular Opinions of a Fighting Irish Fan

Mother of God, as we all know, is very different in many ways. The fan base itself (I think many can agree) is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) thing that sets this program apart from others. Other fan bases and media try to gloss over the fact that most Irish fans did not graduate from Notre Dame. I’m sure I speak for most of us when I say we wear it like a badge of honor. I think having so many fans spanning so many places, age groups, cultural backgrounds, etc. makes being a Notre Dame fan truly unique and special.

That being said, we must have different opinions. It’s not bad. Here we are talking only about sports. For example, I’m almost 26 and my earliest memory of Notre Dame football is Ty Willingham. I don’t need to explain how my view and the view of someone 10, 15 or 20+ years older than me can be slightly different. Between my father and grandfather, I regularly experience these differences. So what better time than the end of January to discuss what some people might consider my “hot takes” on anything and everything being a Notre Dame fan since 1997.

The Seminoles? Don’t hate them.

We’re going to start piping hot. There’s a good chance I’ve lost 90% of all of you with those four words. Not that I don’t understand why Notre Dame and FSU fans hate each other. The thing is, they only played 3 times between my birth and my freshman year of high school. The first two times, which I barely remember, were in 2002 and 2003 and then at the Champs Sports Bowl in 2011, but that night my hatred was directed at Tommy Reese, not FSU. So by the time we started playing them with our ACC deal, I had met and gotten really close with my best friend who is a huge Seminoles fan. Yes, the 14th pissed me off, but my anger was re-directed. That night it was officials with the advance of P.I.

Since then, Notre Dame is 3-0 against FSU, and the only close one was because Notre Dame allowed a big comeback they shouldn’t have. The things that make you hate a team (Michigan fans, USC and The Patriots early hate because of my team’s dominance) just aren’t there with the Noles. We didn’t play them much when I was younger, my best friend was rooting for them, so I don’t despise them by any means, and they didn’t dominate Notre Dame at all. Again, I 100% understand where the bitterness is coming from on both sides, it’s just not to be found here.

Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images

A conference? Don’t mind it.

Mind you, I don’t mind. It’s not that I’m for it or that I prefer independence now. I understand why Notre Dame values ​​its independence, and I wouldn’t argue with someone who says they think it should stay that way. Here’s how it works in my head: If Notre Dame announced it was joining the Big Ten, my first reaction wouldn’t be disappointment. The first thing that comes to my mind is a better schedule. I prefer playing USC, Michigan, Purdue, State of Michigan, etc. These are teams I strongly dislike and prefer over anyone in the ACC — which is a very good thing. Financially, there’s no arguing that we’re going to be worse off, and I think in the new era of college football with the playoffs, recruits, etc. there are other benefits. I repeat, this is not an argument, but how I would react if it happened.

Matt Cashor-USA TODAY Sports

Navy? Change it.

For some it’s the hottest of hot takes, for others it couldn’t be cooler. I agree with others here at OFD that there is no point in playing them every year. Everyone around me knows how grumpy I am every year during the Navy game. I hate to watch it, it doesn’t help the team in any way, it only hurts. Alternate the service academies (I’d rather watch the games vs. Air Force vs. Army) and let each class play vs. Navy once in week 0. I’m a little more adamant about this than others if you can’t tell.

Matt Cashor-USA TODAY Sports

Shamrock? MORE!

I want a shamrock on my helmet. I absolutely love it. If not all the time, then much more often. I’m not talking about the ones in 11 against Army. Something like Under the Lights in 11 or 13. If you don’t want the whole Shamrock on the side, I think pride stickers would be nice too. Overall, I would like to see Notre Dame use the Shamrock more. I think it’s absurd that it’s called the Shamrock Series, and it doesn’t always include Shamrocks even recently.

Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports

Pat Narduzzi? Give him a rest.

–
–

–
–

Just kidding, he can kick rocks.

Why am I wrong? Why am I right? What hot takes do you have? Let’s be civil, but I think we’re in for some interesting conversations.