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The ridiculous college football history between Notre Dame and Auburn
Posted on 6/11/19 at 7:06 pm
Posted on 6/11/19 at 7:06 pm
One Foot Down(Notre Dame Website)
quote:
A topic that has been brought up on several occasions across the college football landscape this offseason has been future matchups. People are putting in their selections for games they want to see in the future, and in particular, games that would see the first ever meeting between two schools. For the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, there really aren’t too many programs that they haven’t faced in their 125+ years in existence. One does stick out like a sore thumb however... the Auburn Tigers.
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A matchup between the Irish and the Tigers makes perfect sense today. Auburn is a member of the SEC and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick has mentioned several times that he would like to add more SEC teams to the schedule — especially those that the Irish have yet to face. There is also the fact that both Auburn and Notre Dame are Under Armour schools, and while that may seem like a small detail, in the business world of today is most decidedly not.
Notre Dame versus Auburn... yeah, I like the sound of it.
There are really only two times that Notre Dame and Auburn are ever really mentioned in the same discussion outside of the schedule talk. Both, however, are of great deal of importance.
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1993
We here at One Foot Down claim 21 national championships for the football team at Notre Dame (and so does Notre Dame albeit in a much quieter fashion). The last national championship was in 1993 via a win over the Florida State Seminoles in the regular season and a win over the Texas A&M Aggies in the Cotton Bowl. The 11-1 Irish had wins that season over the #1, #2, and #6 teams in the country.
Auburn fans feel like they have a similar claim for 1993 with an undefeated 11-0 season. The Tigers, however, were on probation and banned from postseason play. Auburn beat both the #4 Florida Gators and the #11 Alabama Crimson Tideduring the regular season, and both of those teams faced one another in the SEC Championship game. Would the Tiger have been able to beat the Gators on a neutral field for a second time that season? The Gators eventually beat an undefeated and #3 ranked West Virginia Mountaineersteam in the Sugar Bowl, 41-3. Would the Tigers have shot up to #1 if they did the same? We will never know because of Auburn naughtiness.
Needless to say, the 1993 season was a wild one for college football, and both the Irish and Auburn made huge statements that year — as well as gigantic impacts.
[Note to self: do more research on the 1993 season because OH MY GOD it was incredible]
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1996
Just three years later, we have the most recent chance for the Irish to face the Tigers, and this is where it gets ridiculous. Notre Dame just finished an 8-3 season during the last season coached by Lou Holtz, and it was somewhat underwhelming. The Irish had wins over the #8 Texas Longhorns and #16 Washington Huskies, but the three losses overshadowed those wins by quite a bit. Notre Dame lost to the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes at home while ranked #5 in the country. They then had two overtime losses; the Air Force Falcons and the last game of the season vs the USC Trojans.
So yeah... it was a bit of a downer. Looking into this downer brought me to the Wikipedia entry for the season, and this entry (which is the whole reason I wrote this article):
Despite finishing the regular season 8-3, Notre Dame did not play in a bowl game. The Fighting Irish turned down an invitation to play the Auburn Tigers in the Independence Bowl, believing that Auburn was an unworthy opponent and that the Independence Bowl was an unworthy bowl destination.
Of course, I suppose turning down a bowl game during a transition period makes some sense — except it doesn’t. Notre Dame hired defensive coordinator Bob Davie to take over as its new head coach. In 1997 during Bob Davie’s first year, Notre Dame chose to go to the Independence Bowl after a 7-5 season to take on the LSU Tigers for the second time that year.
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Instead, Auburn beat the Army Black Knights Independence Bowl in 1996.
NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE!
Let me just state, that even after Charlie Weis’s last year when the Irish chose to not go to a bowl game, I criticized the move. I fully believe in the motto: Go Play Your Bowl. For the Irish to put their noses in the air after an 8 win season is part of the very essence of why half the country hates and disrespects Notre Dame. Not playing in the Independence Bowl in 1996 was a missed opportunity in my opinion.
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PLAY THEM
At some point this all needs to come to an end. Maybe that happens in a bowl game over the next 5 years as the bowl tie-ins that the Irish have with the ACC see a lot of SEC matchups. Regardless, Jack Swarbrick needs to get Auburn on the schedule at some point — maybe after the Alabama home and home series — I don’t know but it needs to happen.
Notre Dame and Auburn have such a weird history without ever playing, so just imagine what a game would look like in South Bend or in Jordan-Hare. Seems good to me MARK IT DOWN!
This post was edited on 6/11/19 at 7:48 pm
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Posted on 6/11/19 at 7:30 pm to AUFan2015
The history becomes even more weird when you consider the rumor that Notre Dame wanted 2 games in South Bend for 1 game at a neutral site and refused to accept a game in Jordan-Hare.
I could go another 125 years and not care if we never played the Irish
I could go another 125 years and not care if we never played the Irish
Posted on 6/11/19 at 7:41 pm to AUFan2015
I'd love to play the Irish only if it's a home and home setup. No more neutral site "insert company here" kick-off games.
I can't wait for our games against Cal and UCLA...I know their a ways off, but that's the type of scheduling I like.
I can't wait for our games against Cal and UCLA...I know their a ways off, but that's the type of scheduling I like.
Posted on 6/11/19 at 7:46 pm to Rig
quote:
I could go another 125 years and not care if we never played the Irish
They are irrelevant to me. Id rather play Michigan or Ohio State as far as new opponents go.
Posted on 6/11/19 at 7:57 pm to Rig
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Notre Dame wanted 2 games in South Bend for 1 game at a neutral site and refused to accept a game in Jordan-Hare.
They scurred
Posted on 6/11/19 at 8:11 pm to AUFan2015
Frick the Irish
Posted on 6/11/19 at 8:37 pm to RockyMtnTigerWDE
They’re not a relevant program. They’ve had a couple of good regular seasons the last few years but that was due to a weak schedule. They got exposed when it counted.
Penn St
Michigan
FSU
Let’s play them
Penn St
Michigan
FSU
Let’s play them
Posted on 6/11/19 at 8:45 pm to RockyMtnTigerWDE
Notre Dame is irrelevant....
Posted on 6/11/19 at 9:35 pm to AUFan2015
I’d love to have a home and home with ND. I don’t give a frick who you are, there are certain stadiums that MEAN something. I’ve been to Wrigley, Rickwood, and I hope to go to Fenway. There is something different about those venues just like there is something different about Notre Dame.
Posted on 6/11/19 at 10:01 pm to Aubie Spr96
quote:
I’ve been to Wrigley, Rickwood, and I hope to go to Fenway.
I mean, the history of Rockwood is really cool with it being the oldest standing ballpark in America and all the great Negro League players that played there, but I wouldn't out it in the same sentence as Wrigley and Fenway when it comes to "must see"
It's only in the same sentence when it comes to being really old
Posted on 6/12/19 at 12:32 am to Aubie Spr96
There is nothing different about south bend, it’s actually a shite hole. Kinda like rickwood lol
Posted on 6/12/19 at 5:25 am to blzr
quote:
There is nothing different about south bend, it’s actually a shite hole. Kinda like rickwood lol
Posted on 6/12/19 at 5:28 am to Rig
quote:Wouldn't mind an easy win in the playoffs.
I could go another 125 years and not care if we never played the Irish
Posted on 6/12/19 at 5:33 am to Luke
quote:
Notre Dame is irrelevant....
Exposed the last time they played for a natty...an the real winner that night was an Auburn grad.
Posted on 6/12/19 at 6:48 am to AUFan2015
I figure one of these days we'll meet in a bowl. That's good enough for me.
Posted on 6/12/19 at 6:54 am to AUFan2015
It was BS in 2006 that LSU got invited to the Sugar Bowl to play Notre Dame instead of Auburn. Same exact record, and Auburn had the head-to-head win.
Posted on 6/12/19 at 7:43 am to AUFan2015
They should have mentioned 1988. If we don't blow that game in Baton Rouge then it would have almost definitely been undefeated Auburn vs undefeated Notre Dame in the bowl game for the national championship.
Posted on 6/12/19 at 9:09 am to AUFan2015
On one hand, frick them for thinking ND is the same program it once was, and we certainly don't need to play them at this point. We don't need exposure or SOS or the like. Let's be honest, they didn't just skip the Independence Bowl because it wasn't high profile enough, they skipped it because they knew there was a good chance they'd lose to a school they wanted to maintain the illusion of superiority over in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Unfortunately we don't have the leverage to force the issue with Texas or ND or the like. That's not because we're a lesser program, it's because there are only a handful of schools outside of the SEC that can really do anything for us (SEC schools) because the SEC dominates the shite out of CFB already. And, as a result, all the SEC teams want to play them. So who can blame Texas or ND for wanting Alabama or UGA over Auburn. If you're going to lose to an SEC school, get your money's worth.
But again, we don't have any true need to play those schools, either. We want to play ND because it would be a good experience for our fans. That should be the basis on which we schedule ND, and if they don't feel similarly, well, let's not do it. I suspect we're probably next on a lot of lists right now given that many of these schools have seen UA/UGA/LSU in recent years. But it's also possible that their respective ADs are reluctant to take yet another SEC loss, particularly from the 4th or 5th highest profile SEC program.
Unfortunately we don't have the leverage to force the issue with Texas or ND or the like. That's not because we're a lesser program, it's because there are only a handful of schools outside of the SEC that can really do anything for us (SEC schools) because the SEC dominates the shite out of CFB already. And, as a result, all the SEC teams want to play them. So who can blame Texas or ND for wanting Alabama or UGA over Auburn. If you're going to lose to an SEC school, get your money's worth.
But again, we don't have any true need to play those schools, either. We want to play ND because it would be a good experience for our fans. That should be the basis on which we schedule ND, and if they don't feel similarly, well, let's not do it. I suspect we're probably next on a lot of lists right now given that many of these schools have seen UA/UGA/LSU in recent years. But it's also possible that their respective ADs are reluctant to take yet another SEC loss, particularly from the 4th or 5th highest profile SEC program.
Posted on 6/12/19 at 12:57 pm to BowlJackson
Whatever.
I've met people from all over the world at the Rickwood Classic. All the great players played there. All of em. As a baseball fan, Rickwood has to be on a list of iconic ballparks. As a lifelong Birmingham resident, it's easy to take something like that for granted or not appreciate it.
As a college football fan, there are some iconic teams and stadiums that I'd love to see Auburn play in. Notre Dame is one of those.
I've met people from all over the world at the Rickwood Classic. All the great players played there. All of em. As a baseball fan, Rickwood has to be on a list of iconic ballparks. As a lifelong Birmingham resident, it's easy to take something like that for granted or not appreciate it.
As a college football fan, there are some iconic teams and stadiums that I'd love to see Auburn play in. Notre Dame is one of those.
Posted on 6/12/19 at 1:04 pm to Aubie Spr96
Someone may have mentioned it already, but now that our current AD is former ND athlete you would think the odds of this happening would be even higher.
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