SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 13: Marcus Ratcliffe #3 and Daymion Sanford #27 of the Texas A&M Aggies tackle Jeremiyah Love #4 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for a loss of yardage on a fourth down play during a college football game on September 13, 2025 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

I attended an all-boys Catholic high school. My wife, her mother, her father and much of her extended family are alumni of either Notre Dame or St. Mary’s College. Even my children can belt out the fight song by heart. It’s fair to say we're Irish fans, glued to the screen—or the stadium—every autumn Saturday.

And, when Notre Dame loses, the pain is visceral.

My wife, a then student at the time, witness

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