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Notre Dame Football: Top Storylines vs Clemson

By Connor McJunkin

CLEMSON, SC - OCTOBER 03: (L-R) Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers talks to head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish before their game at Clemson Memorial Stadium on October 3, 2015 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SC - OCTOBER 03: (L-R) Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers talks to head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish before their game at Clemson Memorial Stadium on October 3, 2015 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI GARDENS, FL – JANUARY 07: Head coach Jim Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on from the sidelines against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship game at Sun Life Stadium on January 7, 2013 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Can the Irish win a “big” game?

If I had a dollar for every time an obnoxious SEC or Michigan fan brought up the Bama game from 2012, I’d currently be in Arlington vacationing and getting ready to watch the game from the 50-yard line. It’s no secret that the 2012 blowout loss to Alabama in the National Championship game put the public image and national perception of Notre Dame football in the dumps. The loss has been the lasting image for every anti-Irish individual and the foundation to the reoccurring overrated argument.

The loss hurt, and truthfully Notre Dame wasn’t ready to be in that type of game (and were pretty lucky to have even made it there to begin with). Since then, it’s been a constant knock on Brian Kelly for not being able to “win the big game.”

From 2014 FSU, 2015 Clemson, Stanford, and Ohio State, to the Miami meltdown last year — you know what I’m referring to. This year, the Irish were in some similar situations against Michigan, Stanford, and Virginia Tech, and passed these tests with flying colors.

There’s no denying that those were big regular season games, and winning them were huge resume builders for this team and Brian Kelly. However, this weekend’s game isn’t just another big game — it’s on an entirely different level.

This contest will be the most important game for the program since that 2012 loss to Alabama. It is THE big game. It is an opportunity to change the narrative of Notre Dame football and prove that this program deserves to be in the discussion of elite college football teams. It is the chance to go toe-to-toe with the No. 2 team in the country with a National Championship game on the line and prove to the nation that we’re not still stuck in 2012.

This team has the talent and ability to beat any team they play, and they need to show it against Clemson. Notre Dame finally has their redemption opportunity staring at them directly in the face and it’s time to show that they belong.

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