Lou's Confessions: Notre Dame Vies To Be Back In Right Cycle

College football is often described as “cyclical.”

That applies mainly to about only 20-25 schools — including Notre Dame — among the 130 in the Football Bowl Subdivision, or just under 20 percent.

In other words, don’t expect teams such as Indiana, Vanderbilt, Oregon State or Wake Forest to suddenly emerge as contenders in their respective Power 5 Conferences because of greater "parity." Every now and then they can achieve a Cinderella-like campaign, but staying power seldom occurs.