Good points. On the G.O.A.T. hypothetical, I'd say that if

they go on to beat both Clemson and Alabama this year (what tho' the odds), that would probably be the greatest finale to a championship season in ND history. To knock off the undefeated national champions from each of the previous 2 seasons in back to back weeks to win a championship is probably unprecedented for any team, not just ND. Not that previous ND teams wouldn't have been capable of pulling off such a feat, they just didn't have the opportunity.

Would that make them the greatest ND team of all time? No, I really don't think so but let's ask ourselves again after they do it because by then we'll all be seeing them in a different light than we are now.

Would it be the greatest finish to a championship season? Yes, I think they'd stand alone in that regard. Not much competition because most of their titles didn't involve bowl games. The best 2 game run to finish a season is probably 1988 when they beat undefeated USC and West Virginia in back to back games.

The 1973.team would like a word *

The 1966 team wasn't so bad either

My father constantly reminded me that that team gave up 38 points the entire season. To put that in perspective to today, Oklahoma gave up 32.4 points per game.

Sure, the game is different, but that number is impressive even back then.

Piling on

I believe that 14 of those points were not given up by the defense. I know that Purdue had a fumble recovery for a TD in the first game, and I believe there may have also been a blocked punt for a TD (against Navy?).

Therefore, the Defense gave up 24 total points in 10 games. 2.4 per game.

Yes, today we have a higher scoring type of game in general. But, 2.4 per game ... I don't know if such stats are available, but has anyone (at least those who ever played only D1 teams) come close to that?

And the first-team defense only allowed 17 points all season

The reserves gave up a TD late in the fourth quarter at Northwestern -- after ND already had amassed a 35-0 lead. The only teams to score on ND's first-string defense were Purdue and MSU.

We would all welcome that debate *

The 1973 penultimate game involved beating a 5-5 team. *

Who had beaten Texas and lost by 4 at unbeaten Oklahoma

ND was favored, but some predicted trouble. The final was 44-0 and easily could've been much, much worse.

To be sure. But it was Miami. And then Ara beat Bear

Bryant in the sugar bowl. Have we had a more important win since then? Beating West Virginia in the fiesta doesn’t come close, at least to alumni of my generation. And I say that giving full credit to Tony Rice and company for beating southern cal in the coliseum in that year’s penultimate game. That was a pure thrill. But clements to Weber won it all, against the odds.

They were just comparing the strength of the teams in

the final two games, but yes, denying Bear Bryant an AP national title two years in a row, including your swan song, is hard to top.

And rallying the team to win the 1975 Orange Bowl

after the soul-crushing manner in which they had lost at Southern Cal -- which knocked them out of a shot at No. 1 in the coaches' poll -- was particularly impressive.