Earlier this week, Notre Dame was named the most overrated team in college football in a Twitter poll, and the Fighting Irish certainly lived up to that label in Saturday’s stunningly close call against Toledo.
Thanks to a late Jack Coan touchdown pass to star tight end Michael Mayer, the hosts escaped the disaster a loss would’ve been, squeaking by with a 32-29 nail-biter:
Fighting to the very end!@NDFootball back on top with one minute to play. #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/C67QcqO8Bf
— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) September 11, 2021
The AP eighth-ranked Fighting Irish not only gave their fans in South Bend a horrid viewing experience, but frustrated fans across the country had a difficult time with their decision not to televise the game on NBC. Instead, Notre Dame’s deal with fledgling streaming service Peacock forced many customers to pay to see their home opener.
As you might imagine, the combination of the Irish’s woeful effort against the Rockets and the trivial hoops fans had to jump through to gain streaming access led to plenty of hilarious reactions on social media.
It seemed conceivable that Notre Dame could get off to a slow start in Week 1, and coach Brian Kelly’s bunch definitely did in a 41-38 close escape at Florida State in the season opener. Returning home was supposed to be a big bounce-back showing in which the Irish rolled over Toledo. That’s not at all what came to pass.
Whether it was open criticism about Peacock itself, or denying the reality of how badly the Irish played, the streaming experience was not at all what the Notre Dame faithful were anticipating.
The grievances began even before the gridiron action unfolded, as disaffected would-be watchers of the English Premier League found Peacock was straight up not working initially.
Peacock isn't working. What a disaster, NBC.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) September 11, 2021
Comcast insisted Peacock be laden with DRM that prevents it from working half the time and has not prevented piracy in any way while also fighting with device manufacturers over revenue things. It's the essence of modern corporate thinking & they deserve every bit of criticism https://t.co/kgVzkWxUh8
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) September 11, 2021
Between Notre Dame feed delays and totally not working for EPL this AM, it doesn't seem like Peacock is worth my money right now. ♂️ pic.twitter.com/oZ5A1Z0qP1
— Stephen Meyer (@StephenMeyerRDC) September 11, 2021
Bold marketing strategy from Notre Dame, trailing Toledo at halftime and baiting millions of Americans to sign up for Peacock to hate-watch …
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) September 11, 2021
Notre Dame is just trying to get you to subscribe to Peacock. Don’t fall for it. pic.twitter.com/pNFw9LheBZ
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) September 11, 2021
Conspiracy theories are so childish. I would never stoop to that level. With that said, I would like to know if Notre Dame receives a bonus from NBC for being in danger of losing to Toledo and making people contemplate a Peacock sub
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) September 11, 2021
OK, fine, I’ll load up Peacock… https://t.co/kY6DMy1x8Q
— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) September 11, 2021
Thrilled Notre Dame decided to put this Toledo game on Peacock, where nobody is watching. Excellent decision. #NDvsTOL
— Derek Drayer (@derekdrayer) September 11, 2021
If Notre Dame wins, but the game is only available on Peacock, then does Notre Dame really win? https://t.co/ynp8pJlb0I
— Brendan Stiles (@thebstiles) September 11, 2021
@NDFootball Notre Dame used to be worthy of a national broadcast. Now they’re buried on Peacock.
— Christopher Trahan (@TrahanLaw) September 11, 2021
Notre Dame kicked their FG to make it 17-16 over Toledo in the 4th quarter just as Peacock was showing third down.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) September 11, 2021
"Being a Notre Dame fan" and "being too unfamiliar with modern technology to use Peacock" seem to go hand in hand
— Tyler Smith (@RaiderDamus) September 11, 2021
It really was not a good look for the Irish to let Toledo nearly beat them. The College Football Playoff committee will no doubt remember Notre Dame’s sluggish start to the year, and it’s reasonable to presume the Fighting Irish will fall down the current AP rankings and coaches poll next week.
Check out some of the ways the Irish got served on the Twitterverse after their poor Week 2 performance:
Notre Dame fans, when they beat a school by 3 that they should’ve beaten by 30 pic.twitter.com/diNvwMamDo
— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) September 11, 2021
#NotreDame might be a really average team but its first two games have been fuuuuuun.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) September 11, 2021
I don’t know how Notre Dame keeps tricking folks into thinking they’re a top team…
— Keith Marshall (@Truthh4) September 11, 2021
Toledo took the lead against Notre Dame with 1:35 left and had 5 penalties called against them in the next minute of gameplay. Refs gotta make it a little less obvious next time.
— The Give Smart Guy (it's back!) (@BobbyBigWheel) September 11, 2021
“The call came in. We gotta get Notre Dame to win this game…no excuses” #TOLvsND pic.twitter.com/yA3fychJFp
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) September 11, 2021
Amazingly, Notre Dame has now allowed as many 60-yard plays in two games under Marcus Freeman as it did in three years under Clark Lea.
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) September 11, 2021
If Notre Dame is favored by 3.5 or more in any game for the rest of the year, I would suggest smashing the points. This team is shaky at best and should make bettors a lot of money this year.
— Derek Blakemore (@dblakemore74) September 11, 2021
Is Notre Dame even a top-25 team?
— Luke Easterling (@LukeEasterling) September 11, 2021
Notre Dame fans happy that game wasn't particularly televised: pic.twitter.com/sFgLbwvzbc
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 11, 2021
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!