Notre Dame is consistently known as a top football program, according to the AP Poll. However, in week 2, they experienced a huge loss to the Northern Illinois Huskies. This upset was truly shocking, especially because of Notre Dame’s most recent win against the 20th-ranked Texas A&M. This win was historic given that the Aggies play at Kyle Field, “The Home of the 12th Man”, the loudest stadium in college football. The Fighting Irish, who paid NIU 1.4 million dollars to play them in South Bend, Indiana, were expecting a “cupcake” game. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, this was not the easy game they hoped for as the NIU kicker hit a 35-yard field goal with 31 seconds left. But, the Irish would not give up so easily, as they marched down the field to set up for a 62-yard field goal. The ball was kicked; however, it was blocked by the Huskies. At this moment, the Huskies bench stormed the field to celebrate their historic victory against a top 5 team. This win was huge for the Huskies as the coach, Thomas Hammock, went to NIU. After this win, the NIU team became the second MAC (Mid-American Confrence) team to ever be ranked in the AP Poll, achieving a 25th-ranked position. This upset cements the game, and the team, in history as one of the greatest upsets of all time. This is the second time in 2 years that the Irish have been beaten by a huge underdog. These upsets make football fans across the country ask the question, is Notre Dame the most overrated program in history?
