Notre Dame football: 5 best seasons in Fighting Irish history

Notre Dame football makes the College Football Playoff in 2018.

This is the lone entry that is not a National Title winning season. Despite falling short in the National Semifinal to the Clemson Tigers, Notre Dame’s appearance in the College Football Playoff was important to this era of Notre Dame football. Head coach Brian Kelly is all about changing the recent narrative about what the Irish can be as a program.

The Brian Kelly era has been polarizing to say the least. After their BCS championship game appearance, it looked like the Irish were going to slip back into national mediocrity. Even with a 10-win 2015, a tumultuous 2016 looked like the Irish and Kelly were on the brink of parting ways.

However, in the last three years, the Irish have double-digit wins. Their 2018 was the second consecutive double-digit win season. 2018 was a great follow-up to a 10-win 2017.

That 2018 season was marked by a great running game and a dominant defense. Their defense featured All-Americans Jerry Tillery and Julian Love. In addition to their talented All-Americans, Notre Dame’s defense featured stand-outs Drue Tranquill and Te’von Comey.

After their National Semifinal appearance, the Irish followed that with another 10-win season. Kelly’s mission is to change the narrative about who Notre Dame can become and it started in 2018.