Notre Dame football: 4 big 'what-ifs' from the 2021 regular season

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Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Myjai Sanders (21) hits Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Jordan Botelho (12) as he throws an interception made by Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Deshawn Pace (20) in the first half of the NCAA football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.Cincinnati Bearcats At Notre Dame Fighting Irish 185 /

Notre Dame football: 4 big ‘what-ifs’ from the 2021 regular season

Notre Dame played Cincinnati later in the year

The Notre Dame football team took on the Cincinnati Bearcats in Week 5 of the 2021 regular season, and the Irish were fresh off a solid victory against Wisconsin inside Soldier Field. That was the most complete game the Irish had played up until that point, thanks to an incredible defensive effort in the fourth quarter.

The game was a top-10 matchup between the two schools, as the Bearcats went into the game as the No. 7 team in the country, and the Irish had snuck into the top-10 at No. 9. Playing inside Notre Dame Stadium, this game had all the makings of being an instant classic, but instead, Notre Dame fell flat and were embarrassed in front of the home fans by the former program of both head coach Brian Kelly and defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman.

The loss was devastating to the Irish’s CFP chances then, and it ended up being huge down the road, as the Irish would certainly be in if they had won that game. One can only wonder what would have happened if these two programs battled it out later in the year because, after the bye week, the Irish were one of the top teams in the country, and I believe they would have taken care of business at home.

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