Notre Dame And Why It Is Now Playing The MAC
Three down, three new ones in the hopper … and maybe six more to go.
That might summarize the current relationship between the Notre Dame football program and the Mid-American Conference has developed this decade and will likely continue into at least the 2020s.
The MAC was formed in 1946. Although Notre Dame had competed against schools such as Miami (Ohio) in 1909 or a little later, it wasn’t until 2010 that the Fighting Irish played any of the current 12 schools — divided into two divisions — in the MAC.
The first such contest was hosting Western Michigan in 2010, a 44-20 victory.
Then in 2017 it posted a 52-17 win versus Miami (Ohio), coached by former Notre Dame assistant Chuck Martin (2010-13). Last year, the Irish mucked their way through a tougher-than-expected 24-16 decision over the in-state Ball State Cardinals.
Those were the “three down” schools from the MAC. Technically, Massachusetts could be included as well because the Minutemen were part of the MAC in 2015 when they lost 62-27 at Notre Dame before becoming an independent.
After hosting Bowling Green for the first time ever this October, and Western Michigan again in 2020 (Sept. 19), also on the schedule for the future are Toledo in 2021 (Sept. 11) and Northern Illinois in 2024 (Sept. 7).
Chances are that somewhere down the road the other six current MAC teams — Akron, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State and Ohio — could be added.
Akron is where former Notre Dame head coach Gerry Faust (1981-85) was the head coach from 1986-94. Current Fighting Irish offensive line coach Jeff Quinn was the boss at Buffalo from 2010-14, while head coach Brian Kelly thrived at Central Michigan from 2004-06. Lou Holtz (1986-96) graduated from Kent State in 1959.
Why has the MAC suddenly become a regular staple on the Notre Dame schedule?
Times change, and Notre Dame has had to as well. When the stadium was expanded in 1997, FieldTurf or even a video board were still considered a potential desecration, but now they have become added elements.
Other than continuing its annual rivalry with Navy that began in 1927 and has since remained uninterrupted, Notre Dame seldom has ventured outside of playing a team from a major league, or the Power Five — ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC and Big 12 — as it is known today.
As a football independent, albeit a partial member in the ACC, the modus operandi of its schedules has emphasized a slate laden with teams from such leagues. The military academies have been the prime exception.
That began to change in 2008 under then Notre Dame athletics director Kevin White.
Two years earlier in 2006, the Fighting Irish for the first time began 12-game regular-season schedules on a yearly basis, and the realization crystallized that going through a 12-game gauntlet with only Power Five teams would not be conducive to championship aspirations.
So in 2008 and 2009, Notre Dame opened their seasons against non-Power Five teams San Diego State and Nevada, respectively.
By 2010, Mid-American Conference winner Western Michigan was added, and in 2015 the Fighting Irish schedule began a string of what will now be annual one-game visits from teams in lower-level leagues. The MAC is especially convenient because most of the teams are based in the Midwest as border states (Bowling Green is in Ohio), so travel is minimal and it is understood there will be no return game to their campus.
The Mountain West also has become a convenient addition with past ties. Nevada visited for a second time in 2016 while coached by current Notre Dame special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator Brian Polian, who was realistic going into the contest. The prime purpose was to pick up a huge payday for the school.
“If we were supposed to beat Notre Dame we wouldn’t be in the Mountain West,” Polian said after the 39-10 defeat in 2016.
This year it was New Mexico, coached by former Irish head coach Bob Davie (1997-2001), who was unable to make the trip because of a health setback. That contest also had a lopsided 66-14 result in favor of Notre Dame.
The SEC in particular has made scheduling into an art form because of the potential of a 13th game with its conference title game.
For example, Alabama this year strategically has New Mexico State and Western Carolina — the tune-up the week before facing Auburn — on its slate. Auburn likewise has Samford scheduled the week before Alabama, with Kent State earlier in the season.
Georgia played Murray State and Arkansas State in the two games prior to hosting Notre Dame.
Clemson, which has been in the College Football Playoff four straight years and won two national titles, has Charlotte and Wofford on the slate.
Thus, interspersing games against MAC or Mountain West foes is a first step to allaying some degree of difficulty in a 12-game schedule.
----
• Talk about it inside Rockne’s Roundtable
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @BGI_MikeSinger, @CoachDeDario and @AndrewMentock.
• Like us on Facebook.