Once again it was demonstrated that every football game is its own separate entity.

For three-and-a-half years now this Notre Dame football program continues to function at peak levels when it appears the ripest to be tripped up by an upset.

I’m always too reserved — some might call gutless — to publicly declare blowouts, but my favorite pick with Notre Dame always is the week after a close call versus a heavy underdog, such as the 12-7 win over Louisville. The popular knee-jerk reaction many times on the outside is it will become a recurrence.

Even top-10 programs will have about three games per year where it might be a bit flat on one side of the ball or the other (if not both) that can put them on upset alert in a given week. More often than not they compensate with better talent.

Clemson still is pretty darn good despite coming three touchdowns short of covering the 46-point spread versus Syracuse.

Once you become a “program” as Notre Dame has since 2017, there is an inner pride and competitiveness that takes hold when you recognize you didn’t meet a standard. More often than not, woe to the foe the following week.

That’s what transpired in the 45-3 destruction of Pitt. A popular storyline was how Pitt “usually plays Notre Dame tough,” (not false, because seven of the last eight matchups were determined by one score) and the Irish “didn’t look good last week.”