Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2021 45 set victories as Notre Dame had in the 17 seasons from 1964-80 with head coaches Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine when the Fighting Irish posted a record of 148-33-5 while recording three consensus national titles and several other near misses. That's because the more success that is achieved, the less credit one receives in most any victory. Thus, even though Parseghian and Notre Dame ended No. 1 Texas' 30- game winning streak in the 1971 Cot- ton Bowl with a 24-11 triumph, it was not categorized as a "major upset" in the Fighting Irish record books because Notre Dame itself was an established top-five program. The same occurred three years later when 10-0 and No. 3 Notre Dame toppled No. 1 Alabama 24-23 in the Sugar Bowl to win the national title. The Crimson Tide was favored by six points — but the Irish winning was hardly a major shock. It wasn't until Parseghian's fi- nal game in his 11 seasons at Notre Dame, also against Alabama, that he was credited with a major upset, which is a testament to the consistent excellence that was accomplished and sustained during his tenure. In that 1975 Orange Bowl versus 11-0 Alabama (No. 1 in the UPI and No. 2 per the AP), the 9-2 Notre Dame team was a 9.5- to 11-point underdog. That was because in its most recent game it allowed USC (the eventual co-national champ that year) to score 55 consecutive points in a span of 17 minutes during a 55-24 defeat. The carryover effect of that stag- gering defeat put them in a rare role. Notre Dame responded with a 13-11 victory over the Crimson Tide, thereby giving Parseghian his one "credited" upset at the school. Under his successor Devine, the perception was different. Because he had lost three games each of his first two seasons in 1975 and 1976, Devine was not viewed with the same rever- ence as Parseghian. In year three, Devine's 10-1 Irish met unbeaten and No. 1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl as a seven-point under- dog — just like Parseghian's 1970 crew met the unbeaten and No. 1 Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl as a seven-point underdog. Devine's Irish crushed Texas 38-10, and it was labeled in the Notre Dame media guide with the "major upset" distinction, whereas the 1970 win by Parseghian's troops was not. That comes back to proving one's self over time. After that Cotton Bowl win, Devine and the Irish were not credited with an upset victory again in his final three seasons, even after winning 7-0 at Alabama in 1980. CHANGING PERCEPTIONS Believe it or not, when the Notre Dame football guide stopped list- ing upsets prior to the 1995 season, not one of head coach Lou Holtz's (1986-96) wins was deemed as such — not even defeating No. 1 Miami at home in 1988 en route to the na- tional title. Similar to Parseghian and Devine, he had established enough of a repu- tation where an upset was consid- ered a misnomer. So even though No. 1 Florida State was a seven-point favorite at No. 2 Notre Dame in 1993, the 31-24 Irish victory was not classified as an upset because Holtz and Co. had been an established top-five program the five previous years. The more powerful the Fighting Irish became, the less the up- set symbol occurred. That is what current Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was dealing with prior to the Alabama matchup in the Col- lege Football Playoff. Although he and his staff have clearly made the pro- gram top-10 caliber again after an absence of such con- sistency for just over two de- MEMORABILIA Vintage Notre Dame Memorabilia Augie's Locker Room ND Stadium Items, Jerseys, Helmets, Autographs and One-of-a-Kind Rockne Items. COME INTO THE STORE TO SEE OUR RARE NOTRE DAME HELMET DISPLAY, 1900 - PRESENT!! 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