2018 was Notre Dame's first trip to the College Football Playoff, but the result had a very familiar feeling for Irish fans: another blowout loss. Hoping to erase the embarrassment of a 42-14 pounding by Alabama six years ago, the Irish got back on the national stage only to get outclassed again, this time by Trevor Lawrence and a loaded Clemson team.
The loss was Notre Dame's eighth straight in a major Bowl game - a streak that dates back twenty five seasons:
Yikes,
Brian Kelly has gotten Notre Dame past the Davie-Willingham-Weis ineptitude, but until the Irish show up (and actually win) one of these major Bowls or a playoff game, he won't return them to the Holtz-Parseghian-Leahy level that fans still pine for.
Here's a good writeup from Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune: