Michael Rosenberg | Jan. 6, 2013 | Sports Illustrated
If you missed the last 19 years of Notre Dame football, I'll give you a brief summary: The first 18 years were filled with people saying Notre Dame football would never come back.
In the 19th year, Notre Dame came back. And for all those folks who thought this would never happen, I have news for you: You are the reason it happened.
OK, not the only reason, or the immediate reason. Brian Kelly and Manti Te'o are bigger reasons. But they ended up at Notre Dame for the same reason all those folks who ripped on the Fighting Irish over the years remained so obsessed: Notre Dame loses games, but it never loses its mystique. In a very fundamental way, the mystique is the program.
There is no team in college football like Notre Dame. Wait, that's not quite right. There is no team in sports like Notre Dame.