The Divine Rivalry In College Football

A (Partially) Divine Rivalry Rivalries are one of the concepts that make sports so special. Every team knows when and where they play their rivals and want to absolutely annihilate them. In college football, rivalry games, especially between teams in Power 5 conferences (Big 10, Big 12, ACC, Pac-12, and SEC), are very well covered by the media. Some may argue that some of the greatest rivalries in sports are between college football teams, such as Army vs. Navy or Lehigh vs. Lafayette, which is college football’s most played rivalry. Rivalries can spark from any number of events, whether it be based on their proximity to each other or a historic event that has caused tension between them. Some rivalries last a long time, and some are really

Notre Dame has been playing collegiate football since the late 1800’s and is known for having some of the most loyal fans in sports. Currently, they are not part of a conference when it comes to their football team. As a result of this, they have their own TV contract, a long term deal with NBC that is made possible due to the unwavering support of their very loyal fan base. Notre Dame has won 13 National Championships in football, which is the second most ever won by one school, trailing only Alabama by only 1, according to Winsipedia. According to the NCAA record books, Notre Dame has the all-time highest winning percentage out of all teams in the FBS with a 73.2%. Tolbert Bain, a defensive back for Miami from 1983-87, said during an interview in Corben’s film The U, that “[Miami] loved playing Notre Dame because they had all All-Americans and they couldn’t beat [Miami],” which was true in Bain’s case. During the years he was attending Miami, Miami beat Notre Dame every time they met. Both the school and the football team have a reputation for being much more traditional than Miami. The Catholic presence within Notre Dame is very evident, and this can be seen just by looking at their football stadium, which lies in front of a giant wall depicting what is known as “Touchdown Jesus,” a mural depicting Jesus with his arms raised similarly to

The final score ended up being 58-7. Johnson denies intentionally running up the score during an interview that aired as part of Corben’s film. The teams would not face each other in 1986, when Lou Holtz would take over the coaching duties for Notre Dame. The media was curious to see whether or not Notre Dame would exact revenge for Miami’s embarrassment of Gerry Faust when the two teams would meet again in 1987. The game is described by Steve Walsh, the Miami QB, as, “one of those things that fans, especially Notre Dame fans, choose to forget,” as Miami beat Notre Dame 24-0 in Miami, despite all the smack talk coming from Notre Dame’s star running back, Tim Brown, had just won the Heisman Trophy. The two teams would meet again the next year, 1988, in what is known as the matchup of “Catholics vs. Convicts,” a slogan that emerged from a shirt designed by 2 Notre Dame students. Rick Telander described the day the two teams met in 1988 as, “so gorgeously old-fashioned -- sunshine, real grass, primitive end-zone chalkings, Irish players in name-free jerseys and black shoes -- that even Touchdown Jesus…seemed to be raising his arms a little higher in blessing over coach Lou Holtz's boys”