Notre Dame Football: Time to pull the plug on Navy?

Is tradition worth Notre Dame football scheduling a game with Navy every season, in which the Irish have little to gain and a lot to lose?

Let me tell you a little Notre Dame football history lesson. Back during World War Two…

…And that is why we play Navy every year

We have heard it all before and will continue to hear it every year. Navy needs to be respected and appreciated for what they did for Notre Dame. There may not be a Notre Dame if not for Navy’s contributions. But at what point can we walk away? The war ended almost 75 years ago and I think we can call the debt repaid.

Personally, I enjoy the rivalry, but I can see that Notre Dame gets zero benefit out of the game. It is a week to prep for an offense you won’t see again and Notre Dame gets absolutely no respect for a win. However if Navy catches them slipping, the season would all but be over.

The older generation of fans will yell that tradition matters and Notre Dame should not change its ways. But this same group wants Notre Dame to stay independent, maintain all traditions, keep academic standards and consistently win championships.

All of that is great, but Notre Dame is fighting an uphill battle here. Everyone gets on TV and most are willing to break or bend the rules to land the elite recruits. Many other schools don’t have the academics or even make their players go to class for that matter. So basically you can have it one way or the other. Notre Dame can keep everything as it was in 1988 and we can all settle for maybe sneaking in a playoff every five years. Or Notre Dame can recalibrate to 2019, bend on their rules and tradition and try to compete more.

But the fans don’t want either. Complaining about Notre Dame failing to meet expectations is becoming their biggest tradition. Look wherever the Fighting Irish faithful congregate and you will find one thing that remains among every generation of fans — most are unhappy with Notre Dame football come year’s end.

So how do you fix it?

The most dangerous expression is “That is the way we have always done it”. Notre Dame has done things a certain way and the rest of the country has passed them by. They are not the only ones. Nebraska, Michigan and other traditional blue bloods are stuck in the same boat, struggling to stay competitive, wondering why it isn’t like 1995 anymore.

Nobody likes change and they hate the passing of time as the old days become a distant memory. But look around — time waits for nobody and Notre Dame is stuck living in the past. They can hang on to independent status and they can keep the Navy rivalry alive and well. Just don’t stomp and scream as Notre Dame finishes 9-3 and struggles to keep up with the rest of the college football world.