Notre Dame Football: Irish and Crimson Tide missed an opportunity

Notre Dame Football almost had a Week One matchup for the ages, but rumors of a matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide were put to bed.

Last week, rumors swirled that Notre Dame Football was a candidate to matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide in an opening-week matchup. Originally, the Crimson Tide were set to meet the USC Trojans in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic, but that matchup was nixed when the Pac-12 conference opted to play only in-conference games in 2020.

Obviously, the Irish also had to drop their end-of-season bout with USC because of the same decision. It seemed as if both the Irish and the Crimson Tide were logical opponents. The excitement of a season-opener of such magnitude just made sense.

If college football was allowed to start on time, front-loading the schedule would be ideal. No one knows what the future brings for college football. By October, the entire sport could be shut down. There may end up being no postseason whatsoever. And that’s exactly why a marquee matchup in the first week of the college football season was what America needed.

But, almost as quickly as the rumors swirled, they were shot down by Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne, who was quick to note that the two schools are looking forward to their home and home series in 2028 and 2029, but that the Irish and the Crimson Tide would not be meeting on the gridiron this season.

If this game was a legitimate possibility, nobody really knows. Assuming it was at least an idea that was tossed around, who knows why it never materialized. All I know is this: Notre Dame and Alabama missed an opportunity to do the sports world a favor.

Certainly, college football fans will be happy with any live action that they can get this season. Some football is better than no football. However, a matchup of the 2013 BCS National Championship Game would have been a really good start.