Ever wondered if the hatred for Notre Dame was real? Ever wondered if perhaps the idea was all an invention of the Fighting Irish themselves to pump themselves up? Perhaps they knew that starting the push to brand the Golden Domers as villains in college football was a way to get more eyeballs on the program. Maybe it even allowed them to get a television contract that has kept them independent while every other Power 4 program joined a conference.
ESPN's Ryan McGee certainly doesn't think that the hatred of Notre Dame is an invention and unreal. In fact, he believes that there's so much universal dislike of the Fighting Irish that he believes they're one of the all-time villains of the sport. In the Top 10 villains list, the school isn't at the bottom. They're right in the middle.
"Notre Dame has long wielded exclusive powers," McGee wrote. "And as much as the Irish fan base has relished the role, all other fan bases hate them for it."
And that's what makes a great villain. The best bad guys in movies and television revel in being the villain. They love that everyone else hates them. It fuels them. It gives them ammunition when they are trying to trick the heroes into a misstep.
ESPN ranks Notre Dame football among college football’s greatest villains
The idea that the Irish are villains most recently popped up last year when the College Football Playoff committee snubbed them. Rather than waste time and energy preparing for and playing in some second-rate bowl, the program announced it would sit out bowl season.
The fury Notre Dame caused was both immediate and way, way over the top. There were reports that every team under the sun would refuse to schedule them from 2026 onward. There were talking heads screaming daily about how the school was ruining bowl season.
And yet, the Fighting Irish didn't give an inch. They didn't decide to reverse course and take a bowl bid after all. They didn't go on an apology tour begging for the public's forgiveness. They just went about their business and prepared for the 2026 season. Now they're one of the odds-on favorites to win the whole kit and caboodle.
Notre Dame football thrives as a villain of the college football world. That's a good thing considering where the Irish want to go this year. This group, more than others before it, seems like one that would love to wear the black hats. They'd wear those hats all the way to the national title.
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