SB Nation Reacts: Notre Dame fans are at their 2nd lowest point heading into Rose Bowl VS Alabama

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.

Notre Dame fans are feeling a little betrayed after the loss to the Clemson Tigers in the ACC Championship. After a regular season that saw Notre Dame take down #1 Clemson early in November, fan confidence was soaring, and talk of a College Football Playoff run was everywhere. The Irish are in the playoff, but that loss to Clemson a week ago has driven fan confidence to its second lowest point of the season.

Yes... the Irish are headed to the college football playoff to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide — and a lot of fans want to die (or curl up in a ball while asking the bad man to stop). Do you know who’s not curling up in a ball and was begging for another shot at Bama? The Texas A&M Aggies. While THEY may think they got the biggest snub in the country — the SB Nation Reacts community didn’t see it that way. (For the record... I voted for OFD Podcast Adjacent Cincinnati Bearcats).

The Aggies don’t have the resume of Notre Dame and so that should be that. They did, however, beat Heisman Finalist Kyle Trask — so I guess that’s something? According to fans, Trevor Lawrence should win the Heisman, but that split vote between Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith and Najee Harris is pretty lit. OH YEAH... all three roll with the Tide and Notre Dame gets the honor of that lovely trio.

For the record; Lawrence, Trask, Jones, and Smith are the 4 Heisman Finalists with Harris coming in at #5. Ian Book finished #9 in the Heisman vote — which ain’t bad at all, so we should celebrate that a little bit.

The complete ranking #5 - #10:

5. RB Najee Harris, Alabama Crimson Tide
6. QB Breece Hall, Iowa St. Cyclones
7. QB Justin Fields, Ohio State Buckeyes
8. QB Zach Wilson, BYU Cougars
9. QB Ian Book, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
10. TE Kyle Pitts, Florida Gators

So apparently, there were no good defensive players in college football this year to contend for the “nation’s best player” award. [pause for laughter or jeers]

As disappointing as it is to see Irish fans lose so much confidence in the football team, it’s equally disappointing to see fan confidence tanking for the men’s basketball team. I mean... it’s probably deserved — but disappointing all the same.