Notre Dame Football: The hardest loss of all, the season.

And just like that, it was gone. The 2019 regular season, for all intents and purposes, has wrapped itself up (technically the Navy/Army game still remains) and bowl season is all that remains. The scarcity of games and the importance it places on each Saturday is what makes this the best sport in the world. Which is why it is all the more bittersweet when it finally comes to an end. Being that it’s December, I would like to point out that College football is not unlike the Christmas season. Many people get so caught up in Christmas Day, that they forget that the best part of the season is the lead up. The music, decorating the tree, putting up the Christmas lights, the Orwellian threat of Santa to keep your children in line... LOVE IT.

You see the same thing with the college football season, everything is about the next game or the playoffs, so often we fail to cherish things in the moment. It’s important to remember that we only get thirteen games a year whether it’s against Bowling Green or USC, and they are all precious. It also doesn’t matter if you go 3-9 or 12-1, or if you lose by 31 or by 7 — the hardest loss that you suffer all season is when that final whistle blows. How do you cope?

Now that recruiting has the early signing period, there isn’t much intrigue between the end of the bowl game and the first day of Spring practice, so what helps you get through the dark days of winter? Every year I am in a haze after the season and unsure what to do with myself.

Look, let’s make a deal... You help me by saying what gets you through January, February and March and I’ll give you some belated Stanford GIFs, fair trade?

It took all season but the Notre Dame Fighting Irish finally executed a screen to perfection! I could seriously watch this one GIF a hundred times, the downfield blocking from the linemen is a thing of beauty.

Absolutely a turning point in this game, Isaiah Foskey utilizing his last game of the year by blocking a punt to set the Irish up inside the 1 yard line.

A pass you wouldn’t have seen Book make earlier in the year, Ian flips the ball like a shortstop to Tommy Tremble in the end zone.

Chase Claypool ladies and gentlemen. Ian Book’s arm has evolved like a freakin’ Pokemon this season.

A preview of 2020. Rightfully so, Kyle Hamilton’s getting a lot of publicity, but for my money Braden Lenzy has me more excited than any 2020 Irish player.

This game could have gone VERY differently if Book didn’t make this play. It was fourth and 2 and he avoided the rush to scramble for a huge gain.

BRADEN LENZY 2020!

Somewhere Brent Musburger was either very excited or very angry with this play as it allowed a backdoor cover for the Irish.