Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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20 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY LOU SOMOGYI & BRYAN DRISKELL T here has been symmetry of different themes with Notre Dame Stadium ever since it opened in 1930. The first was the mostly glorious 67-year era from 1930-96. It began with the final season under head coach Knute Rockne that resulted in his third consensus national title before his untimely death the following spring. Then it was capped with Lou Holtz's concluding campaign in 1996. During that stretch, five different head coaches — Rockne, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine and Holtz — directed nine consensus national title marches and about an equal number of near misses while establishing Notre Dame as the nation's preeminent college football power and brand name. Then there was Chapter II for Notre Dame Stadium during the 20- year period from 1997-2016. A bowl was built around the structure to expand the seating from the once familiar 59,075 figure to just more than 80,000, and it was dedicated in 1997. Since then, other amenities such as upgraded locker rooms, piped-in music, FieldTurf and a smoke-laden entrance were introduced to enhance the overall experience on the field and in the stands. Unfortunately, with four different head coaches at the helm during the span — not including a four-day stint by George O'Leary in De- cember 2001 — the on-field product ebbed. Over the past 20 years, Notre Dame has been a pedestrian 150-99 (.602 winning percentage) and finished in the top 10 only twice. Prior to 1997, Notre Dame had experienced only seven losing seasons since the start of the 20th century. Since 1997 it has had five — most recently last year's 4-8 meltdown — and had four other years with at least six defeats. In other words, the Irish have had at least six losses in nearly half of those campaigns (nine out of 20). And now Chapter III of Notre Dame Stadium stands at the Cross- roads, literally and figuratively. The $450-million Campus Crossroads project that commenced in 2015 makes its debut in the Sept. 2 opener versus Temple. Three mas- sive buildings surround the stadium, with premium seating, luxury boxes and a massive video scoreboard on the south end among the many upgrades. Will the product on the field likewise appreciably improve? That's where Fighting Irish football finds itself in a different type of cross- roads. Here are some of the primary themes from that spectrum: 201 7 SEASON PREVIEW A Crossroads Year Another new chapter of Notre Dame Stadium opens in 2017, and it is aptly named