In going through various articles and box scores about and from Ara’s era the last few days, it was hard not to think about how much things have changed since his title-winning years. Of course, that is to be expected.
Yet some things remain quite similar. Take Parseghian’s response a few years ago to the wondering if an independent, nationally-focused schedule helped or harmed Notre Dame’s championship hopes.
“It gave us an opportunity to play teams from throughout the United States — our traditional rivalries with Southern California, Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue, and we had Navy on our schedule all the time because they helped us during the war years,” Parseghian said.