In the realm of college football, Notre Dame is one of the few programs that possesses a history that rivals Ohio State.
The Fighting Irish claim 11 national championships and seven players won the Heisman Trophy while in South Bend, Indiana, most recently wide receiver Tim Brown in 1987. The Buckeyes maintain eight national titles of their own after their latest last season, and quarterback Troy Smith became the school's seventh Heisman winner following the 2006 season.
Notre Dame's 892 wins trail only Michigan (924) for most all-time in college football. Ohio State, with 874 wins, is fifth on that same list. Texas (889) and Nebraska (886) round out the top-5.
"Two legendary programs," Urban Meyer said of his team and Notre Dame. "Two storied programs who had great seasons."
However, when the 11-1 Buckeyes face off against the 10-2 Fighting Irish New Year's Day at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, Notre Dame's head coach sees a chance for his program to prove it still belongs among the nation's elite.
"We need to play well, and we need to win the game to validate where we are as a football program," Brian Kelly said Sunday on the Fiesta Bowl preview teleconference.
Kelly is 55-22 in what is now his sixth season at Notre Dame. He led the Irish to the BCS National Championship Game following an unbeaten 2012 regular season, but succumbed to Alabama, 42-14, in a contest that was never close. The Irish have won at least eight games each season Kelly's been head coach, with three bowl victories to show for it.
But for a program with legendary championship-winning coaches like Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian, Kelly doesn't feel he's done enough yet. With a game against Ohio State — the defending national champions of the sport and arguably most talented team in the country — on the horizon, however, Kelly sees an opportunity to make a splash.
"We're going to get one more challenge against what could be the best team in the country. I mean, who's to say they're not?" Kelly said. "I know the committee decided who the four were, but you could take one of eight teams and make the case for them."
Meyer has ties to Notre Dame and knows about its illustrious history from coaching there early in his career. He is aware how much weight is put on the Fighting Irish football program and views what Kelly has accomplished in six short years as an overwhelming positive for it.
"He's got Notre Dame where Notre Dame belongs and that's one of the top-5 programs in the country," Meyer said Sunday. "He's done it with hard work. They have excellent personnel. He really stabilized a great university, a great football program."
Notre Dame finished in the top-25 of the final AP Poll each of the last two seasons and is in good position to do so again. The Fighting Irish are preparing to play the Buckeyes for the sixth time in history, looking to stop a three-game losing skid. Notre Dame hasn't beaten Ohio State since 1936.
"If I was to take the pulse of our fan base, they're excited about playing Ohio State because it's the best," Kelly said. "It's the defending national champs. I know that's how our team wants to play the best and be measured against the best, and that's how we schedule."
Being an FBS Independent football program allows Notre Dame to schedule who it wants, when it wants — provided it works with opposing regular season schedules. The Fighting Irish are scheduled to pay a visit to Ohio Stadium in 2022, with the Buckeyes returning the favor the following season.
Who knows if Kelly or Meyer will still be coaching their respective programs then, but even despite all their past history, Kelly sees the Fiesta Bowl as a monumental opportunity for the Notre Dame he has built.
"It's Ohio State. They're the defending national champs. It's a darned good football team," Kelly said. "But I think we know who we are, and we've been tested by some very, very good football teams. This will be another stern test by another very good football team."
