Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/998819
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 17 UNDER THE DOME 1943 Horse: Count Fleet Notre Dame: The 9‑1 Irish defeat the teams that finish No. 2 (Iowa‑Pre‑Flight), No. 3 (Michigan) and No. 4 (Navy) to capture the first of four titles under Leahy. 1946 Horse: Assault Notre Dame: Despite the scoreless tie with two‑time reigning national champ Army, the 8‑0‑1 Irish get the nod over the Black Knights for No. 1. 1948 Horse: Citation Notre Dame: A third straight unbeaten season (9‑0‑1) results in a No. 2 finish behind unbeaten, untied Michigan. 1973 Horse: Secretariat Notre Dame: The Irish improve from 8‑3 to 11‑0, highlighted by a 24‑23 Sugar Bowl win over No. 1 Alabama to capture the second consensus national title under head coach Ara Parseghian. 1977 Horse: Seattle Slew Notre Dame: After sputtering out of the gate following back‑to‑back three‑loss campaigns (a horror in those days), Notre Dame (11‑1) wins its last 10 games and captures the title under head coach Dan Devine with a 38‑10 drubbing of No. 1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl. 1978 Horse: Affirmed Notre Dame: The 9‑3 unit wins nine of its 10 last against the nation's No. 1‑ranked schedule to finish No. 7 (No. 6 in the UPI), capped with the mi‑ raculous comeback and 35‑34 conquest of Houston in the Cotton Bowl. The lone loss over the final 10 games is at co‑national champ USC on a highly debatable officiating call on the game's final series. 2015 Horse: American Pharoah Notre Dame: During a 10‑1 start, Notre Dame suffers its lone loss in a heart‑ breaking 24‑22 decision at Clemson in which a two‑point attempt fails in the closing seconds. The Tigers would go on to finish No. 2. In its final regular season contest, the Irish take a 36‑35 lead at Pac‑12 champ Stanford with 30 seconds left before losing on the final play. Notre Dame would also lose to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, meaning the defeats came to the teams that finished Nos. 2‑4. The final No. 11 finish is the lowest by Notre Dame in the year of a Triple Crown winner. 2018 Horse: Justify Notre Dame: To be determined. Ara Parseghian's Irish won the 1973 national title the same year Secretariat captured the Triple Crown. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH DIGITAL MEDIA