Notre Dame Continues 'Due Process' at Virginia Tech
This August, I referred to Notre Dame’s 2018 season as one of “due process.”
In other words, the Fighting Irish football program was due — actually long overdue — to turn the Tide (maybe even the Crimson Tide) with certain dubious streaks, almost all of which involved the number three.
• The first was achieved in the 24-17 victory versus No. 14 Michigan, which prevented Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh from winning three in a row versus Notre Dame, dating back to his last two meetings as the Stanford coach in 2009 and 2010.
• Next was the 0-3 record the Notre Dame senior class possessed against Stanford prior to its showdown last week. An Irish class finishing 0-4 in football versus the Cardinal would have been held in similar contempt and ignominy as the 0-4 versus Northwestern from 1959-62, Air Force from 1982-85 and Boston College from 2001-04.
Notre Dame was absolutely due, especially in great part because it was the better team. It's not about entitlement; it is about fulfilling potential.
This week it’s about ending another 0-3 albatross — the record it has against ranked ACC opponents on the road (and at night) since joining the league as a partial member in football in 2014: No. 2 FSU in 2014, No. 11 Clemson in 2015 and No. 7 Miami in 2017.
The month of November, where the Irish are 9-12 since 2013, especially will be replete with the threes that need eradication.
• Northwestern (Nov. 3) cannot win a third in a row versus Notre Dame, although the Wildcats spread it out in 1995, with Pat Fitzgerald as their star linebacker and 2014, with Fitzgerald as their head coach. That should be well overdue to end.
• Florida State (Nov. 10) owns a three-game winning streak versus the Irish, starting in 2003 (37-0) and continuing with heartbreak (18-14 in the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl) and controversy (31-27 in 2014 in the closing seconds).
Do the due here.
• Notre Dame will attempt to win for the first time in three tries at USC (Nov. 17).
Prior to November, where the worm must continue to turn for Notre Dame is with road victories against ranked opposition, with Virginia Tech coming in at No. 24 this week.
Since 2013, the Irish are 1-9 in such outings.
Such a win over a team that just two weeks ago lost 49-35 to Old Dominion might not move the needle nationally, but it must reverse a trend internally if the 2018 edition is to “be different.”
Note: road outings constitute the other team’s home stadium, not neutral site or bowl games.
2013 — at No. 13 Michigan, 30-41
2013 — at No. 8 Stanford, 20-27
2014 — at No. 2 Florida State, 27-31
2014 — at No. 11 Arizona State, 31-55
2015 — at No. 11 Clemson, 22-24
2015 — at No. 21 Temple, 24-20
2015 — at No. 13 Stanford, 36-38
2016 — at No. 12 USC, 27-45
2017 — at No. 7 Miami, 8-41
2017 — at No. 21 Stanford, 20-38
Talk about something being overdue.
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