Notre Dame and Penn State had never really been rivals on the field before the College Football Playoffs last year. Michigan, USC, Stanford, Michigan State, and even Clemson draw the ire of Fighting Irish fans historically. However, after Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin seemed to disrespect Marcus Freeman during the lead-up to their contest, the PSU coach is one of the most disliked in the sport by the fanbase.
The hatred of Franklin boiled over online a bit since Penn State fired him on Sunday. On Monday, it turned into less hate and more humor as Irish fans began noting that it really does seem like there might be some Marcus Freeman curse on James Franklin since the two coaches crossed paths.