This is the way Brian Kelly wanted it, remember? Away from the "ashes of tradition" (his words) at a Rose Bowl played indoors and 1,400 miles east of Pasadena, California. Notre Dame's coach lobbied for parents and friends and fans to be able to watch what the No. 4 Fighting Irish had become.
On Friday night, they certainly saw a program that has retooled, remade, reshaped and improved itself. Notre Dame has, in fact, caught up to Alabama.
That would be the Alabama of 2012.
That Alabama team nuked Notre Dame back to the Stone Age in the 2013 BCS Championship Game. That Tide team beat the Irish so bad (42-14), the result sent Kelly back to the film room and recruiting sites to build a northern Indiana version of Nick Saban's bully ball.
It worked to a point. Eight years later, Notre Dame and Kelly emerged from the facility in this troubled season with some certainty amid the chaos. To even the untrained eye, the Irish had become a version of the Tide: beefier, more ground-based and better defensively.
One problem: While Notre Dame was retooling itself, Alabama was revolutionizing the game.
In essence, Notre Dame became what Alabama used to be just in time to be thumped again, this time 31-14 in a College Football Playoff semifinal. The philosophy, however, got the Irish to the playoff for the second time in three years.
One step forward, two steps back to the drawing board.
If only Kelly's defense of his program was as good as, well, his defense on Friday. It was obvious Kelly didn't want the media scrutiny that came with losing again, significantly, in the postseason at the highest level.
"You guys are killing me," Kelly finally told media in his postgame Zoom session.
"I really don't want to continue to go down this path," he added. "We're going to keep getting here, OK? We're going to keep banging at it. They made plays on the perimeter. They had the college football player of the year [DeVonta Smith]. I'm sorry if you don't like it or national media doesn't like it."
Kelly can rant, but it obscured the real progress Notre Dame has made, instead refocusing on the question of the moment at Notre Dame. After another attempt at entering college football's stratosphere, the Irish couldn't touch the sky. And Kelly couldn't help himself.
"This wasn't a matter of getting knocked off the ball or not having enough players to compete against Alabama," he said. "This was about making plays. I guess everybody needs to carry this narrative that Notre Dame isn't good enough. Look at the scores that Alabama has played all year. We need to change the narrative a little bit."
Yes, for the first time in 26 games, Bama didn't score at least 35 points. Yes, Notre Dame played the Alabama "close" compared to the others this season, who lost by average of 30 points. Yes, Notre Dame still owns the best win of the season beating then-No. 1 Clemson on Nov. 7.
Somehow, it doesn't feel like congratulations are in order.
All of it could be a symptom of what college football has become -- dominated by about three teams. On Friday, it was obvious those three teams were the ones still alive in the playoff at that point: Clemson and Ohio State to go along with Alabama.
"Notre Dame Nation, you guys can get some sleep. Recharge your battery," Kelly said. "We're going to get ourselves back in this position again. You don't need to jump off a bridge, a building. We're going to keep working and rededicate ourselves."
After that pep rally, Golden Domers everywhere have to admit the separation remains vast. Alabama became the first team in the CFP era to win seven playoff games. Along with everything else, the Tide are averaging a playoff win per season.
But it remains easier to swim across the Mississippi than to close the gap on what Saban has accomplished these last six seasons. He continuously transforms his program, recently into an offensive powerhouse. When he said in the middle of the 2020 season that offense wins championships, the sport either wasn't listening or it was just too late.
To be fair, it's worth mentioning again that the Irish have developed an on-field identity since bottoming out at 4-8 in 2016. But because the game is dominated by those ultra-elites, the comparisons get tougher.
"We're going to keep getting back here," Kelly reiterated. "Everybody can keep saying, 'Notre Dame is not good enough.' You know what? You're going to have a problem. We're going to keep winning games and getting back here. We're going to break through. Then I am going to be terrible to be at a press conference with. Terrible!"
Bully pulpit meet bully ball. Notre Dame held the football for almost 18 minutes in the first half, pounded Bama with a 15-play scoring drive and found itself trailing 21-7 at half. That's as good as it got.
To no one's surprise, Alabama scored on its first three possessions, repeating a performance that by now has become routine. The second half was curious viewing if you were wondering about the biggest point spread in CFP history (19.5 points for Alabama).
The Tide didn't cover thanks to a late touchdown, but it did dominate the Irish. Again.
"Everybody has the same problem that I do," Kelly said. "Tackling those guys. I don't have a unique problem at Notre Dame."
After those eight long years in the lab, that narrative Kelly so dreads is now an Encyclopedia Britannica, a reference library for frustration. Notre Dame is now 0-7 in BCS or New Year's SIx bowl games since 1998. It has been outscored by an average of 23 points per game with all the losses by at least 14 points.
Notre Dame has retooled but perhaps not efficiently. Kelly portrayed the problem being on "the perimeter." That's like saying if Superman couldn't fly he wouldn't be a superhero. Notre Dame doesn't have those receivers that define Alabama's offense. Or the cornerbacks to cover them.
No one does. But it would be nice getting into that recruiting conversation nationwide.
"We just came up short with the firepower," Kelly said. "That's it. There is no other story."
Notre Dame football still has the academic standards that Kelly has never made a crutch. Good for him. His frustration comes from Friday being portrayed as some kind of failure. With one more win, the Irish would've had their most victories ever in a four-year span.
The burden isn't owned by just Kelly. The postseason frustration when playing the best competition in the biggest bowls goes back to Bob freakin' Davie. This one hurts as it should, even without the Twitter trolls who spent the afternoon proclaiming Texas A&M or Cincinnati would have given the Tide a better game.
Maybe that's what college football has come to. After eight years, it doesn't look Notre Dame has come any closer to the top. Neither has the rest of the college football when it comes to comparing itself to Alabama.
Smith did his best to expose how ridiculously early the Heisman Trophy voting deadline is scheduled. The ballots were due Dec. 24. But if anyone else besides Bama's senior wideout wins the trophy after his Friday performance, there should be an investigation.
Smith caught seven more passes for 130 more yards and three more touchdowns. That last number tied a Rose Bowl record. He has proven through this undefeated season to be the most dangerous player on the field.
Before the game, Pro Football Focus calculated Smith had been targeted 123 times with only two drops in 2020.
What other coach is basically asked in the postgame to name his favorite Alabama player for the Heisman?
"I'll give it to [Smith]," Kelly said, sarcastically, before adding the obvious.
"We've got to continue to find more playmakers. We're not going away."
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Notre Dame retooled to keep up with Alabama while the Tide were modernizing to dominate college football - CBS Sports
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