For the Ball State Cardinals, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. A top-10 ranked opponent in the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, fresh off a victory over a massive rival in the Michigan Wolverines, and facing their in-state MidAmerican Conference for the first time ever had trap game written all over it. And while the 24-16 margin was far from the experts in Vegas’ opinion of a massive Notre Dame win, the Cardinals head back to Muncie 1-1 all the same.
But not all losses are created equal and for this Ball State team, there are loads of positives to pull away from South Bend.