Notre Dame's Golden Revival Ends in Heartbreak, But Signals a New Era

Former Tribune Sports Editor weighs in on an unforgettable season

BY MICHAEL WANBAUGH // POSTED JANAURY 23, 2025

When it comes to Notre Dame football, gridiron romantics often find themselves lost in a sepia-toned past, instinctively reaching for the dusty classics of yesteryear. They are bound to such years as 1925, 1966, 1973, 1977, and, of course, the most recent title masterpiece: 1988.

Since then, there have been stacks of compelling tales - the devastating near misses of 1989 and 1993, and the Cinderella faceplants of 2012, 2018, and 2020 - but all of them lacked the kind of proper Fighting Irish endings that become lore under the gaze of Touchdown Jesus.

Then there's this season, a slow, addictive yarn filled with plot twists, character development, lost causes, and renewed hope, but ultimately capped by heartbreak Monday night in a 34-23 loss to Ohio State in the national championship game.

The last time Notre Dame won a national title in football was January 2, 1989, when the No. 1-ranked Irish defeated No. 3 West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. Since then, Notre Dame teams have claimed national championships in men's and women's soccer, women's basketball, fencing, and, most recently, men's lacrosse. But not football... at a football school.

The program, though often successful, has been stagnant at times. Brian Kelly, now widely unpopular after bolting for LSU at the end of the 2021 season, nevertheless found enough footholds to elevate the Irish to the cusp of college football's elite. Then Marcus Freeman famously burst through the locker room doors, seemingly silhouetted by the light of a new golden era as the team he inherited exploded with hope.

 

 

Groundwork was laid in Freeman's first two years, learning from the disappointments of unexplainable losses to Marshall and Stanford inside Notre Dame Stadium and building on season-ending wins at the Gator and Sun Bowls.

The 2024 Notre Dame football season was a testament to resilience and progress, especially after an embarrassing loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2. It felt like all was lost, and the path to the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff seemed out of reach.

But Freeman kept the team together as the Irish put their heads down and went back to work. Between Week 3 at Purdue and the regular-season finale against USC, Notre Dame outscored its opponents by a combined 378-117. This stretch included victories over Miami (Ohio), Louisville, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Navy, Florida State, Virginia, Army, and USC. The Fighting Irish averaged approximately 42 points per game while allowing about 13 points per game during this period.

The mantra from Marcus Freeman all season? “One play, one life.” It became the team's ethos ever since that stunning loss to the Huskies. Critics and Irish detractors predictably chirped all season about that defeat, but no one emphasized the lessons of that loss more than Freeman himself. Freeman used the setback as a rallying cry. Every game and every play became an opportunity for redemption, propelling the Irish to a record-breaking 14-win season, including three postseason victories.

Previously, Notre Dame hadn't won a major bowl game since the 1994 Cotton Bowl. This season, with the expanded playoff format, they broke through, winning the Sugar and Orange Bowls in the span of seven days. They also defeated upstart Indiana in the first-ever College Football Playoff game played on a college campus.

For a program so rooted in history, adapting to the modern era matters mightily. Notre Dame has embraced the shifting landscape of college football—players negotiating through NIL deals, transfer portal strategies, and a savvy marketing approach that blends tradition with innovation. This Irish revolution isn't just televised; it's streamed, shared, and meticulously curated through an NBC docuseries on the Peacock Network.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame's independence remains a cornerstone, bolstering its identity and financial strength while pocketing tens of millions of dollars during its playoff run. Hosting the historic first CFP campus game in South Bend added another layer to its storied pedigree. So does Freeman becoming the first Black head coach to lead a team to the national championship game. That matters deeply—not just for college football but for Notre Dame's mission of breaking barriers.

Beset by injuries Monday night, the Irish simply ran out of enough healthy pieces to upset the best team in college football this year. But they didn't run out of heart — a reality that begs a sequel.

Under Freeman's leadership — and with new Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua guiding the broader vision — the Irish aren't just keeping pace with the sport's evolution; they're helping write it once again.

Michael Wanbaugh is a former sports editor for the South Bend Tribune and has covered Notre Dame football at various points of his career since 1996. He is currently the Director of Administrative Affairs for the City of Goshen, Ind.