There was a time, some 25 years ago, when the idea of the Miami Hurricanes traveling to Notre Dame would get the college football world buzzing. When Irish fans would chide Jimmy Johnson for running up the score in Gerry Faust’s last game. When Hurricanes fans would chide their Notre Dame counterparts for making “Catholics vs. Convicts” T-shirts. When the Irish, coming off their last national title, would enter Miami with a 23-game winning streak and exit the old Orange Bowl with a big fat “L” next to their name.
That was the idea back in the summer, back when it was about first-year coach Mark Richt bringing his upstart Canes to Touchdown Jesus, looking to knock off expected playoff contender Notre Dame, back before Miami’s lack of depth reared its ugly head, back before the Irish would make fools of those who voted them to a preseason No.