When looking back on this year’s Notre Dame football schedule, there are certain numbers that seem to garner just a bit more attention from the more tuned-in Irish fan. Some of these numbers may be more prominent than others, though they ultimately all come together to help offer integral reasons why Notre Dame is in the college playoff system for the first time.
Since an actual postseason concept was developed by college football bigwigs two decades, the only previous experience the Irish have in this type of game isn’t a pleasant one. That’s because they closed out what had been a similar 12-0 season with a 42-14 bashing from Alabama in the 2012 BCS title game.