Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
[[1]] see logo here
Conference
Independent
Location
South Bend, Indiana
Colors
Blue and Gold
Head Coaches
Hingle McCringleberry (2019-present) Bear Thomas (2018, weeks 11-end of season) MicahHeath1212 (2018, week 8) TwoGad (2018, weeks 2-7) Jackie Noffard (2018, finished week 1 matchup) The Big 88 (2018, vacated middle of week 1)
Stadium
Notre Dame Stadium (2018-present)
CFP National Championships
None
Bowl Championships
None

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represents the University of Notre Dame in NFCAA. The Fighting Irish are an independent team unaffiliated with any conference. The school colors are blue and gold. The mascot is the Notre Dame Leprechaun, officially introduced in 1965.

Records

Overall Record: 3-9

Bowl Record: 0-0

Record vs Top 25: 0-1

Record vs Top 10: 0-0

Seasons

2018 Season

This was the inaugural season for Fake College Football (fCFB). The Big 88 was the first hire by the Fighting Irish, Bear Thomas was the 5th and final coach of the season.

Schedule

Week	Loc	Opp	Score	Game Thread
1	vs	Michigan	7-41 L	Michigan v Notre Dame
2	vs	Michigan State	35-20 W	Michigan State v Notre Dame
3	@	Oklahoma	24-34 L	Notre Dame v Oklahoma
4	@	Purdue	24-56 L	Notre Dame v Purdue
5	@	Washington	14-18 L	Notre Dame v Washington
6	@	Boston College	20-24 L	Notre Dame v Boston College
7	vs.	Alabama	14-46 L	Alabama v Notre Dame
8	@	USC	73-77 L	Notre Dame v USC
9	vs	North Carolina	26-38 L	UNC v Notre Dame
10	vs	Utah State	28-31 L	Utah State v Notre Dame
11	@	Massachusetts	42-14 W	Notre Dame v UMass
12	@	Stanford	39-37 W	Notre Dame v Stanford

Poll Position

Week	Coaches'	Playoff
1	#16
2	NR
3	NR
4	NR
5	NR
6	NR
7	NR
8	NR
9	NR
10	NR
11	NR
12	NR

2019 Season

The 2nd season of Fake College Football (fCFB) started off with Hingle McCringleberry as the newest Fighting Irish Head Coach after a revolving door of head coaches throughout 2018.

Schedule

Week	Loc	Opp	Score	Game Thread
1	@	Nebraska	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread Notre Dame v Nebraska]
2	vs or @	TBA	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread TBA v TBA]
3	vs or @	TBA	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread TBA v TBA]
4	vs or @	TBA	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread TBA v TBA]
5	vs or @	TBA	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread TBA v TBA]
6	vs or @	TBA	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread TBA v TBA]
7	vs or @	TBA	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread TBA v TBA]
8	vs or @	TBA	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread TBA v TBA]
9	vs or @	TBA	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread TBA v TBA]
10	vs or @	TBA	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread TBA v TBA]
11	vs or @	TBA	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread TBA v TBA]
12	vs or @	TBA	Yet To Play	[Awaiting Game Thread TBA v TBA]

Poll Position

Week	Coaches'	Playoff
1	NR

Rivalry Games

USC

2018 Matchup

The USC Trojans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish met in week 8 of the 2018 regular season, led by coaches Oliver Raymond (USC) and MicahHeath1212 (ND). The final score was 77-73 with USC taking the victory. The Trojans put up 643 total offensive yards while the Irish put up 481 yards of total offense. Both teams lost 3 turnovers each and both teams attempted 1 field goal each, although only the Irish was able to score on their field goal. The most extreme statistical difference between the teams was time of possession, where USC held the ball for 18:35 while Notre Dame only had the ball for 9:25. The game ended after Notre Dame scored a field goal and was unable to get the ball back after a squib kick and a Trojan first down. USC ran out the clock to hold onto the 77-73 victory.

Stanford

The series began on January 1, 1925 (the end of the 1924 season) when Notre Dame's Four Horsemen and head coach Knute Rockne faced Stanford's Ernie Nevers and head coach Pop Warner at the 1925 Rose Bowl. Notre Dame's 27–10 victory earned their first-ever national title and the first of four national titles to come via bowl victories.

After the two teams' first meeting at the 1925 Rose Bowl, they did not play each other again until 1942. They did not meet again until playing two games in 1963 and 1964. Those four games were the only games before the modern series began. Notre Dame and Stanford have played the modern series annually since 1988 (except in 1995 and 1996). The winner of the game gains the Legends Trophy, a Dublin Irish crystal bowl resting on a California redwood base. The trophy was presented for the first time in 1989 by the Notre Dame Club of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Notre Dame leads the in real life series 20-13 and the fCFB series 1-0.

2018 Matchup

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish went to Stanford to face the Cardinal in the 2018 edition of this rivalry. The head coaches for this game were Bear Thomas (Notre Dame) and Butch Jones (Stanford), though Jones was eventually replaced by clarkhp during the gamr. The matchup started out with Stanford in control, up 17-7 halfway through the second quarter. Then Notre Dame was able to hold a defensive stand on their own 7 yard line, forcing a turnover on downs and driving all the way down the field for a touchdown. After a strong defensive performance on the following drive, the Irish was able to score again and hold the Cardinal once again on defense to take a 21-17 lead into the half.

The start of the second half opened up with Stanford recovering an onside kick and driving downfield for a touchdown, but the Irish was able to force a fumble on the PAT and run it back for 2 points, tying the game at 23-23. The ensuing kickoff was returned for a Notre Dame touchdown, which was then followed by a safety after the Notre Dame defense sacked the Cardinal QB in the endzone. With the Irish leading the Cardinal 32-23, the Stanford head coach Butch Jones suddenly disappeared, and after a penalty the Irish scored another touchdown and PAT, taking control of the game with a 39-23 lead.

With 2:50 left in the 3rd quarter, clarkhp took over as the interim head coach for the Stanford Cardinal. Before the end of the 3rd quarter, Stanford was able to score by touchdown plus convert on the 2-point conversion attempt. Going into the 4th quarter the Irish led the Cardinal 39-32. After a strong defensive quarter that included a blocked Notre Dame field goal attempt and a missed-wide-right Stanford field goal attempt, Stanford blocked a Notre Dame punt and drove into the red zone before scoring a touchdown with 0:40 left in the game, bringing the score 39-37 Notre Dame.

On the goal line for the Stanford 2-point conversion attempt, Notre Dame was able to make a tackle at the goal line to keep Stanford from tying the game. The Cardinal attempted an onside kick, but Notre Dame was able to recover and take a knee to seal the game and escape 39-37.

Though Notre Dame got the victory, they were beat out statistically by Stanford. Stanford's 448 yards of total offense (160 after clarkhp took over at the end of the 3rd quarter) topped Notre Dame's 338 yards of total offense (285 of which was through passing). The largest difference that kept Stanford in the game was the +3 turnover margin they held over Notre Dame. At the end of the game, however, the Irish was able to edge out the Cardinal in this matchup.

Head Coach

2018 Head Coaches

Notre Dame's first game began in February of 2018. The opponent was the Michigan Wolverines, the setting was South Bend, Indiana. The Big 88 was coaching the Irish and was excited about the opportunity to beat the Wolverines in the season opener. However The Big 88 suddenly resigned from the head coaching job and disappeared from the stadium, never to be heard from again. The fans and players stood in stunned silence as the refs scrambled around. Several phone calls to the commissioner and moderators later, two coordinators were hired to take over for Notre Dame. Jackie Noffard and ThatCanDoSpirit strode the length of the sideline, giving the ref an earful about the kickoff proceedings and barking out plays. It was a hectic time on the Irish sideline as both coordinators were new to this game and were sending in the wrong plays at the wrong time. In the confusion Michigan fumbled the ball away and then Notre Dame fumbled the ball right back on 2nd down and gave Michigan excellent field position.

Notre Dame's performance did not improve. They gave up a 56-yard touchdown run, threw a pick-6, gave up a field goal, turned the ball over on downs leading to another Michigan field goal. It was not a happy first quarter for the Irish. Things seemed to be looking up when Notre Dame intercepted the ball with just under 5 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. However things suddenly took an odd turn.

Notre Dame's coach was heard telling players the following three phrases:

• You are choosing a dvd for tonight
• You went to Egypt
• I are choosing a book for reading

Then, just as suddenly as The Big 88, Jackie Noffard disappeared.

TwoGad took over the Fighting Irish, leading them to victory in his first game as head coach over Michigan State, 35-20. However, after losing to Oklahoma the following week 34-24 and then getting crushed in week 4 by Purdue 56-24, TwoGad began relying heavily on subs. Only coaching one more game, a loss to Boston College (24-20 in week 6), TwoGad followed the trend of Irish head coaches and disappeared into the horizon.

After an interim led Notre Dame to a crushing loss against Alabama in week 7, New HC MicahHeath1212 lead the Irish to their best offensive and worst defensive performances against their rivals in a week 8 loss to USC, 77-73. Though some thought this would be the turnaround the Irish needed, MicahHeath1212 continued the legacy of evaporating coaches, leaving Notre Dame to subs in week 9 and 10.

After 2 losses with interim Head Coaches, Week 11 brought in rookie Head Coach Bear Thomas (u/scenicevergreen) who vowed to "right the Notre Dame ship" after the 1-9 start by the 4 previous head coaches and handful of interims. On the first drive of the game against the University of Massachusetts, "Coach Bear" (as his team affectionately called him) led the team to dominate the defense and score after only a minute with the ball. The ensuing defensive drive the Irish forced an interception, allowing the Irish to again drive downfield and score off of the turnover. Coach Bear and the Fighting Irish ended up stomping UMass 42-14.

The final game of the season brought Notre Dame to rival Stanford, and this game was not short of excitement. Although Stanford outgained Notre Dame in total offense and had a better defensive performance stats-wise, the Irish was able to hold onto a 39-37 victory thanks to a defensive stop by the Irish preventing a 2-point conversion that would have tied the game. Coach Bear ended the season looking ahead to 2019 with high expectations.

But the perennial orphans of Notre Dame couldn't catch a break, and a teary-eyed Bear Thomas announced to his team and later to the press that he got the call and offer to become the Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach, a job he had dreamed of since childhood as a kid growing up in Omaha. Rumors swirled that Thomas was also upset that Notre Dame would not join the Big Ten in the 2019 season after several weeks of discussion. Bear Thomas's closing words to his team were simply "Go Irish" and he followed up with a huge team hug before leaving for Lincoln.

2019 Head Coach

During the 2018-2019 coaching carousel, NC State Head Coach Hingle McCringleberry was offered the position at Notre Dame to take over head coaching duties as successor to former Head Coach Bear Thomas.