The Notre Dame Fighting Irish didn’t manage to capture the 1970 national championship. However, they did have a major role in making sure that the Texas Longhorns didn’t win a second consecutive title. The 24-11 New Year’s Day 1971 win over those Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl served as a satisfying cap to a 10-1 season. It also gained a measure of revenge for the heartbreaking loss in that same bowl to Texas the year before.
During that 1970 campaign, the Irish worked their way up for a one-week stay as the top-ranked team. However, tight victories over Georgia Tech and LSU, followed by a loss in the regular season finale at rival Southern Cal dropped them to sixth, back where they’d started the season.