With a tradition that can "wake up the echoes" there is probably no place that can match the college football atmosphere than South Bend, Indiana. It ranks fourth on our Top 100 College Football Towns of America Countdown.
To celebrate 100 days until the start of the college football season, HERO Sports is counting down the Top 100 FBS College Football Towns in America. Each day, through Aug. 24, a new city will be revealed. We will analyze the city, the program, the good and bad of the city as well as the bottom line. If you got a problem, @me on Twitter.
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4. South Bend, Indiana — Notre Dame
[credit] Is Notre Dame even an elite program to the current generation of college football viewers? (Photo: Robert Franklin/Associated Press) [/credit]
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The Program
Any person who grew up watching college football either revered Notre Dame or hated the Irish–sometimes both. No school has produced more consensus All-Americans (101), unanimous All-Americans (34), College Football Hall of Famers (52), and NFL Hall of Famers (13). The Fighting Irish have won over 900 games and 11 national championships. Legends like Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian patrolled the sidelines and helped make Notre Dame the program it is today. The problem is Notre Dame has more vacated seasons than titles over the last 40 years. It's been 30 years since Lou Holtz last led the Irish to an undefeated season in 1988.
Despite the drought, there are the gold helmets, the Notre Dame Victory March, Touchdown Jesus, and "Play Like a Champion Today". There is still a general reverence around the program and it is palpable during the season and in the off-season. Notre Dame football is a year-round business and although Brian Kelly has not brought home that elusive title, he has the program competing each season.
In 2018, the Irish will have to replace two offensive linemen taken in the first nine picks of the NFL Draft. If Clark Lea can hold down the fort as the new defensive coordinator and Brandon Wimbush can install confidence at quarterback, Notre Dame could be looking at its first consecutive double-digit-win seasons since the Bill Clinton administration.
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The City
We could spend some time talking about South Bend. The East Race Waterway is a man-made rapid that you can traverse right through town. The Studebaker National Museum has a Presidential carriage collection (really), including the carriage that took President Lincoln to the Ford Theatre the night he was killed (insert Mrs. Lincoln joke here). Eateries like Burno's Pizza and CJ's typify the college town atmosphere.
The thing that makes South Bend truly unique, however, is the campus.
The first thing that stands out is the Golden Dome. A beautiful structure that towers above the campus. The dome shines out like a beacon. Above it, a 19-foot-tall, 4,000-pound statue of Mary. Inside the Main Building that the dome sits atop is practically a museum. Hallway murals decorate the inside of what is an administration building. You know what was on the inside of my university's administration building's walls? Paint.
Stop into the church or Basilica of the Sacred Heart and you'll wonder if you've reached a secret portal that instantly transported you to Europe. The rich blue and gold above you highlight one of the most amazing places you'll ever see on a college campus. With white marble and stained glass windows, it is as opulent as you'd expect from the University of Notre Dame.
If buildings aren't your thing, it's OK. Seems like every couple of feet there's a quad of some sort with red-brick buildings and lush green grass inviting either a picnic or a simple sit on a nearby bench. The Grotto is where the nutty and the spiritual collide. This campus shrine is literally lit. Before every football game, the Irish fans light candles and pray for a Notre Dame victory. Sometimes, the power of prayer can be too–intense. The Grotto caught on fire before a 1985 Michigan State game.
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The Good
Get out the tissues…
Outside of John Favreau awkwardly yelling, "Who's the wild man now" if you don't tear up watching that, your heart is made of stone and ash.
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The Bad
For all its tradition and Hollywood movie-magic, Notre Dame is still a football program that is propped up by the past. Take away the history, and Notre Dame is a team that has finished the season ranked just four times in the last 11 years. Their fans still think it's 1988, the players think that Touchdown Jesus is actually rooting for them and that because of the color of their helmet, the Irish are some sort of "gold standard". You don't see Michigan thinking it can fly because its helmets have wings.
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Bottom Line
Despite the entitlement, stepping onto the campus at South Bend is entering a living museum. Where everything around you is beautiful and has a story, and you can find yourself falling in love.
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NEXT: Top 100 College Football Towns in America: No. 5 State College, Pennsylvania
NEXT: The Ultimate College Football Road Trip
