Miami vs. Notre Dame: Historic Football Rivalry Returns

We got a big game coming up this weekend, and it is going to be the University of Miami against Notre Dame. You know, I've been asked all week long so far, and to go on numerous shows, Sills, what makes this rivalry great? This rivalry, without a doubt, is one of the most energetic. It is one of the most passionate. It is one of the most hated rivals of all time. Look, my rivalries back in the day were Florida State. in Florida. But there was something about Notre Dame, and it created convicts and Catholics. Can you imagine doing something like that today in today's society, calling all of us at the University of Miami convicts? I think we had more Catholics at the time than Notre Dame did on their football team. But it started when we killed them 58 to 7 in the Orange Bowl. We beat the pants off them. It was Jerry Fouts' final game, and we just crushed them. And I remember Eric Pareseygan on the air, all upset, because he was there with Musburger saying, why did you guys continue to run reverses? One minute left in the game. We beat them by 51 points. Only the 1944 Army game, where they beat Notre Dame 59 to nothing, was a bigger beating of that program. We're second. We beat them by 51 points. And then you had the next game. We beat them 24 to nothing. It was Lou Holtz's first time playing against us. And we waxed them in 87, 24 to nothing. And then everybody remembers the 88 game where it was 31-30. And it was convicts versus Catholics. The rivalry had to be stopped. Both programs thought it was in the best interest because of the death threats that the players and the coaches were getting. During that time, actual death threats, we would get letters from Notre Dame fans and the same thing when it came to players that played at Notre Dame, both ADs and the coaches. Lou Holtz and Jimmy Johnson thought it would be in the best interest that we stopped the program. We didn't play for a long time because that rivalry got so heated and so hated that I can't tell you how many times till to this day I get called a convict. Because convicts versus Catholics, ESPN did a documentary on the 30 for 30 on it, and it's true. They were calling us convicts the entire time because Miami, we did have issues down there at that program at the time when it came to some issues that were off the field. There's no question about it. And Notre Dame ended up taking that and making this rivalry what it is today. Now, many of the kids can only read about it. Many of the kids today Only know about documentaries, but living it during that time, could you imagine if we had social media during that time and how heated that thing was when we went to Notre Dame? I can't tell you how many times the people there at Notre Dame, it was just not a friendly atmosphere. It really wasn't a friendly atmosphere when we played against those guys in South Bend. And when they came down to Miami and they came down to the Orange Bowl, it was like that. This game this weekend is going to rehash all of those great memories. And all of those great things that really made that rivalry great. I think this thing should be played each and every single year. I think it's going to get massive ratings. I think it's going to be one of the most anticipated football games of the year. And I do think the winner of this football game heading into the following Monday or Sunday when it comes to the ratings, I think the number one team in the country is going to come out of this football game. On Saturday in South Bend, I like Marcus Freeman. I think Marcus Freeman, without a doubt, is one of the best coaches in the country. And Marcus Freeman makes Notre Dame likable. I think he's done a spectacular job. And I think Mario Cristobal has done a remarkable job at bringing Miami back. We haven't been in a game like this in 25 years.