At times it seemed like Notre Dame’s 11-2 season in 2019 was almost like a three-game campaign that finished 1-2.
In some ways that is a compliment. That’s because the Fighting Irish have advanced enough in college football the past three seasons where they would be judged primarily by the marquee games on their schedule.
In 2019 it was the road contests at Georgia and Michigan — both defeats — and the home game versus archrival USC the week before facing the Wolverines.
Notre Dame did defeat USC (30-27), but a feeling of unfulfillment remained with the heartbreak at then No. 3 Georgia and the debacle in Ann Arbor.
Fair or unfair, this year, three games again will be the centerpiece of judging another Notre Dame season that is expected to yield a minimum of 10 wins again, provided 13 games, including the bowl, are actually played.
