Notre Dame has awaited No. 1 Clemson all season, but this test has been coming for far longer. This wait traces back through last season’s one-possession loss at Georgia. It paused for a quarter against the Tigers in the 2018 College Football Playoff. This challenge escalated at Hard Rock Stadium in 2017, where the path to Saturday actually began, eight long years ago.
Of course, that references when the Irish were embarrassed in the national championship game against Alabama, 42-14. Notre Dame did not belong on the same field as the Tide that Monday evening, and anyone watching knew it.