Each college football season’s biggest ‘what if’ of the last 25 years

1993: What if Notre Dame didn’t lose to Boston College?

The date was November 20, 1993, and the game was the Holy War between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Boston College Eagles. The Irish went into the game as the No. 1 ranked team in the country, and had seriously dismantled the Eagles the year before. With a win against the Eagles, the Irish could almost guarantee themselves a spot in the Fiesta Bowl, but history tells us that would not be their destiny.

A favorite to win the national title, Notre Dame may have been taking the Eagles too lightly, as they found themselves in serious trouble down 38-17 in the second half.

The Irish would not go quietly, reeling off 22 straight points to take the lead, 39-38 late in the fourth quarter. However, the Eagles, led by future Super Bowl champion head coach Tom Coughlin, won the game on a field goal by David Gordon with time expiring, 41-39. In what would end up being their only loss of the season, the Irish saw their title hopes go out the window, and for Boston College, it would be one of the biggest wins in program history.

Notre Dame would end up playing in the Cotton Bowl, where they defeat the Texas A&M Aggies, 24-21. The biggest sting of the loss had to be watching the Florida State Seminoles win the national title, especially since the Irish had beaten Florida State the week before the Boston College game. Had the Irish beaten Boston College, they would have met up with Nebraska for the championship, but Notre Dame fans can only dream about what might have happened had they beaten the Eagles.