Notre Dame does not belong to a conference, so while they are not considered a Power Conference power house, they certainly are a power house in college football as an independent. Without residence at a conference, Notre Dame's rivalries are fewer than others, but they certainly have their fair share of teams and head coaches the fan base is not too fond of.
Of course, there are USC and Navy that the Fighting Irish look forward to crushing each season; however, there are head coaches throughout football that fans would love for Notre Dame to take down. Former coaches and coaches that Notre Dame has struggled against top that list and make fans truly hope they never step foot in South Bend.
So let's have a little fun and take a look at the top three head coaches that the Notre Dame fan base loves to hate, both on and off the field.
Lincoln Riley, USC
It comes as no surprise that Lincoln Riley is on this list and probably tops the list at that. Notre Dame fans have never been too keen on Riley, but his behavior as of late certainly will fuel the hatred even more.
Riley has been spearheading the effort to bring an end to the matchup between Notre Dame and USC each and every football season. To take away a series that is beloved by both fan bases simply because you are scared of the loss every season seems to be cowardly and a big reason for the fan base of Notre Dame to have distaste towards Riley.
Brian Kelly, LSU
This hatred comes from how Brian Kelly left the Fighting Irish back in 2021. Kelly spent many years at Notre Dame and even led the Fighting Irish to a BCS National Championship game, but when he left in the middle of a recruiting cycle and also under controversial circumstances, Kelly lost all favor he had in South Bend.
Kelly has found a new home down in the south at LSU, and his fake southern accent has not brought him any more fans up north in South Bend. Kelly is a coach that fans will love to hate on from now until he retires, and hope to maybe even be the reason his team loses in the playoffs.
Ryan Day, Ohio State
The hatred of Ryan Day at first came from Notre Dame's simple hatred of Ohio State; however, the hatred has grown even more in the last season, as Day is what stood between Notre Dame and a National Championship this last season.
Notre Dame's loss in the National Championship this past season came at the hands of Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes, giving fans a bigger reason for hatred toward Day and an even more growing rivalry between the two teams.