Notre Dame has finally collapsed

Most of their national championships came before college football had anything resembling a level playing field. In the early-to-mid 1900s, many universities especially state schools in the South and Midwest faced major economic constraints, limited travel budgets, and small local recruiting pools. Notre Dame, meanwhile, built a national brand early, tapped into huge Catholic immigrant populations in major cities, and could afford to travel across the country when other programs couldn’t. Add in the fact that World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II disrupted or crippled dozens of athletic programs while Notre Dame remained unusually stable, and it’s clear they benefited from structural advantages far beyond just on-field talent.

By the time the sport modernized post-integration, scholarship limits, equalized TV exposure, and massive state investment in athletics Notre Dame’s dominance disappeared. Their last undisputed title was in 1988, well after parity set in and other programs finally matched their resources and reach. None of this erases Notre Dame's accomplishments, but it does put them in context: they capitalized on an era when competition was economically uneven, geographically limited, and severely disrupted by global events. In today’s environment where everyone recruits nationally, everyone is on TV, and everyone has money Notre Dame hasn’t been able to recreate the success that old-era conditions helped them achieve.

Now after decades of embarrassing loses in the post season in the big games after favorable rankings, the media and the football world has come to it's senses. Go have a seat with USC and Army grandpa your Jello is waiting.

ETA: I'm thinking maybe putting End Hate and End Racism in their Endzone would turn things around. Then some gay cheerleaders too.