The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had one heck of a 2024 season. Yes, it ended in massive disappointment with a loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship, but the Fighting Irish accomplished a ton en route to that moment.
A 14-2 season with a title-game appearance is nothing to scoff at, so the Fighting Irish do have reason to be proud of what they accomplished.
Not everybody believed in them throughout 2024, though. In fact, former Michigan star turned ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard picked against the Fighting Irish quite a few times on ESPN's "College GameDay."
The final segment on each edition of the show includes game picks from each member of the panel, as well as the special guest, and Howard picked Notre Dame to lose on six separate occasions.
That's not something that went unnoticed in South Bend, apparently. While accepting the Broyles Award — which goes to the nation's top assistant coach — now former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden called Howard out.
"And Des, thank you for picking against us six times this year. We won 14 games and he picked against us six times. It's unbelievable," Golden said with a laugh.
Al Golden keeps receipts
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) February 14, 2025
"And Des, thank you for picking against us six times this year. We won 14 games and he picked against us six times. It's unbelievable." pic.twitter.com/2t4iLDzRvE
Golden's defense tied for the No. 4 spot in scoring defense in college football last season, giving up just 15.5 points per contest. Golden moved on from Notre Dame earlier this offseason and will be the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2025.
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