[tps_title]10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish[/tps_title]
Business as usual for the Fighting Irish as they continued their storied success well into the 2000s.
Brian Kelly brought stability and renewed pride in the Irish program after the mess Tyrone Willingham had left behind. While Charlie Weis had the Irish in the national discussion, Kelly was the coach able to get the Irish into a title game to play for a national title. Golden Tate, Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, Manti T’eo, and Prince Shembo all showed that this national program hadn’t lost its luster or its athletic talent.
The biggest mark against Notre Dame comes in the form of the 2012 National Title game. That game was arguably the most embarrassing loss in Irish history as the Alabama Crimson Tide took ND to task with a 42-14 demolishing.
The game wasn’t even close and took the Irish a few steps back in the rankings because of it.
