Florida State came to South Bend as a heavy favorite, despite Notre Dame being ranked second in the country. It was November in Indiana, and the wind was whipping. Still, everyone seemed to presume the outcome. The Irish didn’t have the weapons to keep up with the Seminoles high flying attack.
It made sense at the time. Charlie Ward was well on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy. Ward’s Florida State offense was blowing teams out. The four ranked teams they played before the Irish were Clemson, North Carolina, Miami, and Virginia. They won those games by a combined score of 158-31.