What were the five best Notre Dame teams in your lifetime?

greyhammer90

greyhammer90

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I was born in '90 so I don't remember '93. I think 2024 or 2025 would pistol whip basically any ND team I've seen in my life. Maybe '05 would put up a fight but I have a pretty strong belief in modern strength and conditioning and the advancement of the game. I think a healthy end of the year '24 beats a healthy end of the year '25 because of the interior DL beef provided by Mills and X Watts.
 
Jiggafini19Deux

Jiggafini19Deux

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greyhammer90 said:
I was born in '90 so I don't remember '93. I think 2024 or 2025 would pistol whip basically any ND team I've seen in my life. Maybe '05 would put up a fight but I have a pretty strong belief in modern strength and conditioning and the advancement of the game. I think a healthy end of the year '24 beats a healthy end of the year '25 because of the interior DL beef provided by Mills and X Watts.
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Agree with this sentiment.

The 2025 Raiders absolutely piss pound the 1972 Dolphins.
 
N

notredomer23

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greyhammer90 said:
I was born in '90 so I don't remember '93. I think 2024 or 2025 would pistol whip basically any ND team I've seen in my life. Maybe '05 would put up a fight but I have a pretty strong belief in modern strength and conditioning and the advancement of the game. I think a healthy end of the year '24 beats a healthy end of the year '25 because of the interior DL beef provided by Mills and X Watts.
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Same here being born in ‘93.

I’d I had to pick 5 in order, I’d probably go
2024
2025
2012
2015
2020

I think the gap between ‘24 & ‘25 and the rest is pretty remarkable. 2015 should have been up there if not for BVG and bad injury luck.
 
Some Irish Bloke

Some Irish Bloke

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My first year really watching as a kid was '02. Tyrone's first year, which started out great, even though the offense was pretty bad. Weis years started out fun (Brady Quinn is still my favorite player to this day), but we never did win that big game under him in '05 or '06. So:

'12
'15
'18
'20
'24

Honorable mentions: 2002, 2005, 2006, 2017, 2025

Some may debate 2015, but that was probably the most fun/electric offense I've ever seen in my lifetime at ND. Hoping we can top it this year, but man. USC 2015, Kizer to Fuller, one of the best atmospheres I've been in at ND Stadium. Just sucks we didn't have even an average, competent DC to get us over the hump that year....
 
Some Irish Bloke

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notredomer23 said:
Same here being born in ‘93.

I’d I had to pick 5 in order, I’d probably go
2024
2025
2012
2015
2020

I think the gap between ‘24 & ‘25 and the rest is pretty remarkable. 2015 should have been up there if not for BVG and bad injury luck.
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IrishLax

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I think it's tough to judge talent because a lot of it is relative. Would the Lou Holtz era teams actually beat 2024 / 2025 ND football? I honestly don't know.

In the modern era, I think 2015 ND football had the most top end talent of any team, and they probably would've gone undefeated in the regular season were it not for BVG + Joe Schmidt + some injuries.

2024 and 2025 were both deeper and better overall teams than 2015. On paper, 2026 should be better than either of those teams, which is crazy to think about, but the way you build rosters in the NIL / transfer portal era is so different.

Honorable mention you have to look at teams carried by elite defense ... 2012 and 2018 ... as well as the 2020 team which reminds me a lot of the 2026 team but with less star power and depth.
 
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IrishLax said:
I think it's tough to judge talent because a lot of it is relative. Would the Lou Holtz era teams actually beat 2024 / 2025 ND football? I honestly don't know.

In the modern era, I think 2015 ND football had the most top end talent of any team, and they probably would've gone undefeated in the regular season were it not for BVG + Joe Schmidt + some injuries.

2024 and 2025 were both deeper and better overall teams than 2015. On paper, 2026 should be better than either of those teams, which is crazy to think about, but the way you build rosters in the NIL / transfer portal era is so different.

Honorable mention you have to look at teams carried by elite defense ... 2012 and 2018 ... as well as the 2020 team which reminds me a lot of the 2026 team but with less star power and depth.
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Football is so QB dependent. Sorry Kizer but if CJ is who we think he is the difference even with comparable rosters, which they aren't, would be massive.
 
G

Green Mountains

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1993 (That was the best team I've ever seen)
1988
1989
1977
2024

I was alive but don't remember 1973....but that was a team stacked (allowed more than 10 points only 3 times)

Would 1993 beat 2026 team? Who knows and it's irrelevant. You can't compare athletes to different eras....nor should we try. The 1993 OL/DL would probably be giving up 50 pounds per, but that's just how football players have changed.
 
Chino Cherokee

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My dad taught Physics at Notre Dame in the late 60's. I was a young 'un, but I went to most of the home games.

My fav team was '66:

The 1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. In their second season under head coach Ara Parseghian, the Irish compiled a 9–0–1 record, shut out six of ten opponents, outscored all opponents by a total of 362 to 38, and were ranked No. 1 in the final AP and UPI Polls. In four games against ranked opponents, they defeated No. 7 Purdue (26–14), No. 10 Oklahoma (38–0), and No. 10 USC (51–0), and tied with No. 2 Michigan State (10–10). The 1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State football game is considered one of the great "games of the century".


Notre Dame linebacker Jim Lynch won the Maxwell Award as the best all-around player in college football. Lynch, guard Tom Regner, halfback Nick Eddy, and defensive end Alan Page were consensus first-team selections on the 1966 All-America college football team. Defensive tackles Pete Duranko and Kevin Hardy also received first-team All-America honors from multiple sectors. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Terry Hanratty (1,247 passing yards), Eddy (553 rushing yards, 60 points scored), end Jim Seymour (862 receiving yards), and Lynch (106 tackles).

I had a #5 ND Jersey (Hanratty) that I wore all the freaking time, and a Dallas Cowboys helmet that I spray painted GOLD!
 
Jiggafini19Deux

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ACamp1900 said:
88, 89, 90, 92, 93,… been chasing that high most my life
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I think for a good portion of us within a certain age bracket, this is it. The title, beating Colorado in the Orange Bowl, Mirer beating Michigan in the opener, piss pounding Florida in the Sugar Bowl, beating Penn State in the snow on Senior Day, beating Florida State.

There have been moments since then, sure, but collectively, you are 100% on when it comes to chasing the high of this time frame since it ended.
 
ACamp1900

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Jiggafini19Deux said:
I think for a good portion of us within a certain age bracket, this is it. The title, beating Colorado in the Orange Bowl, Mirer beating Michigan in the opener, piss pounding Florida in the Sugar Bowl, beating Penn State in the snow on Senior Day, beating Florida State.

There have been moments since then, sure, but collectively, you are 100% on when it comes to chasing the high of this time frame since it ended.
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Exactly,… the memories and vibe of that era,….
 
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I envy your guys experience as young ND fans. Having your formative years be Willingham and Weis was fucking brutal. Especially in enemy territory.
 
NDPhilly

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Starting from when i was in HS (2010) since I don't consider myself truly "sentient" for 2005-2006. I think i'd tier the "good" teams like this in terms of who would win on a neutral field:

Tier 1:
1. 2024 - Ravaged by injuries but still won the biggest games in recent program history despite it. even if i think 2025 would win on a neutral field by the end of the year, i still have to go with them bc of that
2. 2025

Tier 2:
3. 2018
4. 2012

Tier 3 - All really close together IMO
5. 2015
6. 2021
7. 2019
8. 2020 - Think this team was pretty overrated in retrospect.
9. 2023
10. 2022
 
Old Man Mike

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I didn't want to write my book today, so, rather than completely loaf, I'll bore you with this:
Rank #0: everybody picks Lou's teams so I won't; (ABSOLUTELY HATED what went on in 1993, btw.)
Rank #1: Everybody picks Ara's 1966 --- I can't fight it, so OK. Ara's 1970 team deserves remembering with our one loss (to USC)coming with the greatest single QB performance (by Theismann) in ND history;

Rank #2: 1962. We went 5-5. My graduation year and Nick Buoniconti's. We were undefeated going to Michigan State. They were too. We put each other in the hospital. Neither team recovered. Still ... my guys;

Rank #3: Just to irritate the hell out of everyone -- the 2018-2021 era of eleven win average year teams. Blessings to the unmentionable Coach, and blessings to the amazing Ian Book for three of those. Those rosters averaged 28 players going into the NFL and earning contracts on the talent list. We were great on defense (The Kiser, Hamilton, Liufau, JOK years following Tranquill, Coney, Love & Pride. There was Kyren, and Mike Mayer, Kmet and Wright, as TEU poured out the talent.The vet OLinemen of Hainsey, Kraemer, Eichenberg, Patterson, Banks held up for three of those years. The fourth was a terrific making of lemonade out of lemons when the OLine graduated as well as Book. Somehow Coan became OK as a big time QB, Yeh, we'd lose at the end game, but we were consistently an honorable dangerous opponent. The reason this "makes my favorite list" is that it said to me: We are now fully back.

Rank #4: In my lifetime eh? Well then, Leahy 1953 handing off to Brennan 1954. Johnny Lattner, Ralph Guglielmi, the young Paul Hornung, Powerhouse linemen like Art Hunter and Dick Szymanski. Everyone went both ways back then, and guys like Szymanski were AA at both Center and MLB. Is this pick legit? Well, I listened on radio with my Dad way back then.

Rank #5: Dan Devine 1977. Somehow he woke a sleeping psycho Joe Montana up, and he became the planet's most honored QB. Most of the play-by-play offense came running the ball, and then Montana would find Ken MacAfee or some such superman, and beat the opponent dramatically. Over on defense lurked Ross Browner, Luther Bradley, Bob Golic. Most people don't realize how much of a screwed up player Montana begin as. Then he became "Montana The Messiah."
 
FOTY977

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Old Man Mike said:
I didn't want to write my book today, so, rather than completely loaf, I'll bore you with this:
Rank #0: everybody picks Lou's teams so I won't; (ABSOLUTELY HATED what went on in 1993, btw.)
Rank #1: Everybody picks Ara's 1966 --- I can't fight it, so OK. Ara's 1970 team deserves remembering with our one loss (to USC)coming with the greatest single QB performance (by Theismann) in ND history;

Rank #2: 1962. We went 5-5. My graduation year and Nick Buoniconti's. We were undefeated going to Michigan State. They were too. We put each other in the hospital. Neither team recovered. Still ... my guys;

Rank #3: Just to irritate the hell out of everyone -- the 2018-2021 era of eleven win average year teams. Blessings to the unmentionable Coach, and blessings to the amazing Ian Book for three of those. Those rosters averaged 28 players going into the NFL and earning contracts on the talent list. We were great on defense (The Kiser, Hamilton, Liufau, JOK years following Tranquill, Coney, Love & Pride. There was Kyren, and Mike Mayer, Kmet and Wright, as TEU poured out the talent.The vet OLinemen of Hainsey, Kraemer, Eichenberg, Patterson, Banks held up for three of those years. The fourth was a terrific making of lemonade out of lemons when the OLine graduated as well as Book. Somehow Coan became OK as a big time QB, Yeh, we'd lose at the end game, but we were consistently an honorable dangerous opponent. The reason this "makes my favorite list" is that it said to me: We are now fully back.

Rank #4: In my lifetime eh? Well then, Leahy 1953 handing off to Brennan 1954. Johnny Lattner, Ralph Guglielmi, the young Paul Hornung, Powerhouse linemen like Art Hunter and Dick Szymanski. Everyone went both ways back then, and guys like Szymanski were AA at both Center and MLB. Is this pick legit? Well, I listened on radio with my Dad way back then.

Rank #5: Dan Devine 1977. Somehow he woke a sleeping psycho Joe Montana up, and he became the planet's most honored QB. Most of the play-by-play offense came running the ball, and then Montana would find Ken MacAfee or some such superman, and beat the opponent dramatically. Over on defense lurked Ross Browner, Luther Bradley, Bob Golic. Most people don't realize how much of a screwed up player Montana begin as. Then he became "Montana The Messiah."
Click to expand...
I love hearing 50s-70s beyond just the headlines; thank you!
 
Old Man Mike

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2016 ... weirdest damm year. How can you have Q and McGlinchey and not have a good OLine? The next year we won the Joe Moore.
..... at least we beat Miami.
 
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