Notre Dame Focuses On Playing Better, Not Bowl Talk

Forty-five years ago this week, the 1971 Notre Dame football team voted to not play in the Gator Bowl despite possessing an 8-1 record and No. 7 Associated Press ranking before heading into the regular-season finale.

That decision occurred because that season was a huge letdown after the Fighting Irish had played No. 1 Texas in the two previous Cotton Bowls. Plus, head coach Ara Parseghian's 1971 team was a preseason favorite to finish No. 1. The stated principle was to play in only a “major” bowl.

My, how times have changed.

Today, Notre Dame is 4-6 — and yet there were inquiries during head coach Brian Kelly’s weekly press conference about whether the team would be receptive to going to a bowl game, even with a possible 5-7 record.

Of course, back in 1971 there were only 12 bowl games, whereas there are 40 today, and filling all those spots can get tricky. That’s why last year there were three 5-7 teams that accepted bowl bids — Minnesota, Nebraska and San Jose State. Notably, all won them, too.

“I haven't given it much thought, to be honest with you,” replied Kelly when asked if the school would play in a bowl with a 5-7 mark. “I think those scenarios I would address at the end of the year.”

Getting to 5-6 against 7-3 Virginia Tech this weekend at home on Senior Day will be a challenge in itself. If that is met, then achieving 6-6 — which would make the Irish officially bowl eligible — at USC would apply more salve to a bitter campaign. The Trojans have won six straight, most notably an impressive 26-13 victory at No. 4 Washington last weekend.

Yet, even getting to 6-6 is secondary to Kelly.

“Regardless of how we’re perceived, I think the most important thing is to play the way we’re capable of playing,” Kelly said. “That’s what I’m looking at more than anything else. And that is putting all these components together — learning how to win close games, not giving up the cheap plays that we’ve given up occasionally during the year to keep teams in games, and playing smart football: getting off the field on third downs, staying on the field, red zone, those things.

“… If we do that, I think people can make their own opinions about what kind of team we have.”

Kelly said that last week against Army West Point the Irish played “with an edge” that it hadn’t previously done this year, and “we’re starting to figure out how to play.” He wants to see that aspect continue.

“If we continue to play with that kind of edge, we can be a really good team,” Kelly said.

The head coach later reiterated that he is not losing any sleep about whether the Irish go to a bowl because far more pertinent is the here and now against what might be their two top foes in 2016. These are like de facto bowl games to him.

“What I’m concerned about the most is how we play,” Kelly said. “That’s the most important thing because those are the most important elements on what we’ve had to go through this year. And I want to make sure that how we play is going to be reflective of where we finish and how we build that for next year.”

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