I’ve never been to South Bend, Ind., but for as long as I can remember I have been a fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
I waited patiently through the Willingham era, which got off to a great start, but then faded into mediocrity as his tenure went on.
And like Irish fans everywhere, I watched in awe as Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija made Charlie Weis look like an offensive genius.
But ever since Quinn graduated, Notre Dame has looked dazed and confused.
How can a football team with an all-time record of 837-290-42 lose to a subpar Navy?
The answer lies in progress.
College football players now grew up watching the likes of Ohio State, USC, Alabama, and even Boise State make noise in the BCS. Notre Dame has barely even registered.
The decades of tradition?
Just ask Joe Paterno: That doesn’t matter anymore. It’s national championships that matter now, and the Irish don’t have them.
In the end, it comes down to the fact that the rest of the country has moved past Notre Dame to the newer, sexier schools. And there’s a good chance that I won’t see the Irish restored to their former glory for years to come.
Reach the reporter at egrasser@asu.edu
