College football was my favorite sport growing up and is probably still my favorite sport now.
I don’t believe it is controversial to say that the NFL’s on the field product is superior to college football’s. The games are generally more competitive and there is significantly more parity. I mean look at the Seahawks-Rams, Steelers-Lions, and Packers-Bears games we got in just this past week!
What made college football great and unique was/is:
1. School pride
2. Unique game-day atmospheres
3. Rivalries
4. Regional pride and play styles
5. Tradition
As the NIL era and national super conferences continue to degrade basically all of the bullets I mentioned above, what are we left with? Reskinned NFL with worse quality games.
Notre Dame is perhaps single handedly holding college football together. Eventually, I do expect the dam to break and for Notre Dame to join the Big 10. When this happens, the ACC will get picked apart and we will be left with two super conferences (Big 10/SEC = AFC/NFC).
All of the morons chanting for Notre Dame to “join a conference” will realize their mistake, but it will be too late. College football will already be a shell of what it once was.
Farewell, Brian.
You came to Notre Dame with ambition in your eyes and a chip on your shoulder.
You chased wins, broke records, and flirted with greatness.
We gave you a legacy. You gave us 10-win seasons and a few too many “we’ll get em next year” speeches.
Then you left.
Not with a thank you. Not with a press conference.
But with a text. A plane ticket. And a Southern accent you found somewhere over Kentucky.
You traded tradition for TikToks.
Gold helmets for gumbo.
And now?
No rings. No banners. No statue.
Just a buyout check, a bruised ego, and a beach chair waiting next to James Franklin.
We’re not bitter. We're better.
We’ve got a coach who stayed, who leads, who doesn’t need subtitles to say “family.”
You had your shot. You took your swing.
And now the lights are off, the curtain’s down, and the band’s playing you out.
So here’s to you, Brian.
May your next chapter be filled with fewer accents, fewer excuses, and maybe....just maybe....a little humility.
Sincerely,
Notre Dame
Where loyalty isn’t just a slogan. It’s a standard.
Not long ago, ESPN would have covered today’s bombshell story with a heavy dose of Bob Ley, Jeremy Schaap, and Roger Cossack.
We are a long ways from that era in media and are never going back. It’s a sad reality of modern day media and extends well beyond sports media.