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What to make of Notre Dame football playing an FCS team for first time

IMG_9992by:Tyler Horka•04/06/22•

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(Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).

Notre Dame is the essence of longstanding tradition.

There is a difference between tradition, though, and circumstantial streaks. One of the latter will come to an end next year. For the first time ever, Notre Dame will play an FCS — and HBCU, for that matter — opponent when welcoming Tennessee State to South Bend, Ind., on Sept. 2, 2023.

It could be entirely possible previous Notre Dame coaches and administrators have avoided scheduling FCS opponents to preserve the sanctity of having never done so. As it stands, the Fighting Irish are one of just three Division I programs to have never played against an FCS foe. UCLA is another, and the Bruins are snapping their streak by playing against Alabama State this fall. So in a year and a half, USC will be the only school standing in this regard.

But what, if any, value does that give to the Trojans? Is new head coach Lincoln Riley going to land recruits because USC has never played against an FCS opponent? Is the NCAA going to award his institution a trophy? Maybe a cookie if he’s hungry? No and no. He has to earn all of those things himself, including the cookie.

Times are always changing in college football. Was Notre Dame really going to go forever without playing against an FCS team? Probably not. More importantly, did that streak really even matter? It’s only been harped on so much because Notre Dame hasn’t won a national championship since 1988. Win one of those, and this game against Tennessee State immediately becomes inconsequential in the minds of Irish fans — especially if it happens next season with the Tigers on the schedule.

BlueandGold.com’s Tyler Horka joined Darin Pritchett of WSBT SportsBeat AM to discuss Notre Dame’s most recent scheduling announcement, one that did not come without mixed reviews from fans. Click the play button below to hear that full conversation.

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Tuesday’s radio hit also touched on the Notre Dame wide receiver situation in the wake of fifth-year senior Joe Wilkins Jr.’s foot surgery. The Irish are left with five healthy scholarship wide receivers for the remainder of the spring. What does that mean for that corps?

In another instance of low scholarship numbers, Notre Dame women’s basketball lost three important players to the NCAA transfer portal last week. What does that mean for head coach Niele Ivey, and which of those three players — Sam Brunelle, Anaya Peoples and Abby Prohaska — was the biggest loss? That question is answered at the tail end of the interview.

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