The anticipation was tangible in South Bend on October 18.

No. 13 Notre Dame had a chance to earn a ranked win over USC in what could be the last installment of the Jeweled Shaleigh rivalry for a while. The clouds began to form over Notre Dame Stadium. A loss marked the end of any College Football Playoff hopes.

All of that was dispelled for a quick minute.

A joint cheer rose from the tailgates and around Notre Dame’s campus. Vanderbilt had just beaten LSU in a ranked showdown in Nashville. Brian Kelly, the winningest coach in Notre Dame history, had taken another loss after spurning the Irish for a $90 million contract just over three and a half years ago.

Imagine the cheers Sunday evening when the news broke that Kelly was fired after a blowout loss to Texas A&M and the subsequent to

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