The last word: Final thoughts before Clemson vs. Notre Dame football
What if? What if Notre Dame pulls this off? What if the Fighting Irish beat No. 4 Clemson?
It’s not going to be easy. That’s well-documented. We all know about the Tigers’ top-10 rushing defense, their head coach who has been here, done that and the postseason aspirations that are well within reach for them and not so much for the home team defending Notre Dame Stadium.
But let’s just fast forward and entertain a hypothetical. Let’s live in a world in which Notre Dame wins this game. So much of what has been a disappointing inaugural season for head coach Marcus Freeman would be forgotten. Losses to unranked Marshall and Stanford aren’t ever going to be wiped from the slate. But they could be overshadowed by playing spoiler to Clemson’s undefeated campaign.
This isn’t about the Tigers. This is about Freeman and the Irish rewriting the narrative of the 2022 season and setting a foundation for future success. Freeman said after the defeats to the Thundering Herd and Cardinal that those types of teaching moments were the impetus for improvement. Lessons are learned in losses.
Lessons are learned in wins, too. Especially ones of this magnitude.
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It’s important to remember the sting of defeat. But it’s just as imperative to hold onto the euphoria of excellence. That’s what a win over Clemson would be — excellent. Notre Dame has some pretty good Ws on its ledger; a 45-32 win over No. 17 North Carolina and a 41-24 win over No. 20 Syracuse. Both triumphs were on the road. Both came at a time when Notre Dame desperately needed them.
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Both would also pale in comparison to knocking off the Tigers.
Dabo Swinney‘s program isn’t in the sort of shape it was in the last time he took it to South Bend two years ago. Many view Clemson as more of a pretender than a contender. The Irish aren’t in control of that. They’re not in control of the College Football Playoff rankings, either. Those say that if the season ended today, Clemson would be a national semifinalist. The Tigers would have a chance to compete for a national title.
The season doesn’t end today, though. It could just be getting started for Notre Dame. If the Irish get it done tonight, 10 victories would still be within reach with a 9-3 regular season and a bowl game win. Who thought that would be possible at 0-2? At 3-3? That’s why if you’re a Notre Dame fan, it’s perfectly fine to let your pregame mind drift off into the alternate yet attainable universe in which the Irish send Swinney home a sad soul.
That was just a pipe dream at multiple points this fall. Now it’s not that much of a stretch. And that’s an intriguing prospect.
