Step one: Survive a wedding.
Step two: Survive New Year’s Eve festivities that include about 60 of the wedding guests from two days prior.
Step three: See what unrealistic possibilities your exhausted mind will concoct during a seven-hour drive on New Year’s Day.
This exact recipe yielded wonderings many have undoubtedly pondered since halftime of Notre Dame’s 30-3 loss to Clemson in the Cotton Bowl. The clearest versions begin with, “What if review had ruled Chase Claypool recovered that fumble when the game was still tied 3-3?”
Despite the Irish offense’s game-long struggles, it is not hard to envision it turning that red-zone recovery into a touchdown and a 10-3 first quarter lead.