I hate to admit it, but when I first started getting into college football back in the late 80s, Notre Dame was one of my two favorite teams (along with Michigan). I fell in love with Rocket Ismail. He was the best college football player I’d ever seen and is still 2nd on my list after Charles Woodson. I even bought a Toronto Argonauts CFL Ismail Jersey.

College football is cyclical. The dominant programs of my childhood, Notre Dame, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Miami, Florida St, to name a few, have all had periods of futility since. Powerhouses of the past decade such as Florida, USC, and LSU were nowhere to be found. That’s how the system works.

Has it been ‘too long’ since ND has been elite? Maybe. They’ve gone through 3 coaches since Lou Holtz left in 1996. Times have changed.

One reason that keeps getting tossed around by the pundits is the fact that ND has such high academic standards. Charlie Weis even used this as an excuse a couple years back, asking the ‘higher-ups’ to allow some less than qualified ’student- athletes’ into the prestigious school. They didn’t.

Here’s the thing. Didn’t Notre Dame always have these high academic standards? When they were winning championships, and their players were winning heisman trophies, and their coaches were becoming legends, wasn’t it the same exact situation? There are still ’smart’ student-athletes out there. Why aren’t they choosing to go to Notre Dame?

Which brings me to my next point. The college kids of the past 10 years were born in the 80s. They never experienced the lure and the aura of the Irish that everyone older has in their lifetime. Notre Dame to them is just another good program. I’m sure they’re aware that the school has its own TV deal and gets crazy exposure, but in this day and age, that doesn’t hold nearly as much weight. With hundreds of television channels and the internet, good players on quality teams will always be noticed.

I’d like to see Notre Dame get back to prominence sometime soon, but if they don’t, it’s not that big of a deal. If they don’t, I hope that the media stops covering their ‘downfall’ with such regularity and leaves them to be what they’ve become…just another program.