First things first, have you seen ESPN's documentary, The U? If not, you're missing out - put it on your list and enjoy one of the best sports docs ever made.
Regardless, you're probably aware of the heated rivalry that existed between Notre Dame and Miami University in the 1980s, when the national championship went through those schools and the word "intense" was a light way to describe the matchup. In fact, here... check out a piece of the film and get a taste of Catholics vs. Convicts:
Sure, they didn't get along, but it was great for college football. Fans loved it and players marked the date on their calendars the moment the schedule was released each season.
Now, 20 years later, the bad blood is set for a return:
"The Hurricanes and Fighting Irish will play Oct. 6, 2012, at Soldier Field in Chicago and then play a home-and-home starting in 2016 at South Bend, Ind. They play in Miami the next season.
The rivalry dates to the 1950s and Notre Dame leads the series 15-7-1. But it was during the 1980s, when Miami became a national power, that the rivalry got interesting.
In 1985, Miami embarrassed Notre Dame 58-7 in Gerry Faust's last game as coach of the Fighting Irish. Faust was replaced by Lou Holtz. Soon after Notre Dame was a national title contender again and the Miami-Notre Dame game was routinely one of the biggest of the season.
Miami won three national championships in the 1980s and beat Notre Dame during the regular season each time. Notre Dame beat Miami in 1988, when the Irish won their last national title, and in 1990.
The tense and at times nasty series was dubbed Catholics vs. Convicts by some Notre Dame supporters. The 1988 game was marked by a pregame shoving match and the next season the teams nearly squared off at midfield before the coin toss.
After the 29-20 victory by the Irish in 1990 -- which knocked Miami out of the national title hunt and helped Notre Dame go the Orange Bowl with a chance to win another championship -- the series was stopped."
Looking ahead to 2012, there is certainly work to be done for both sides. Notre Dame's new head coach Brian Kelly will have his work cut out from him as he looks to clean up a mess and start fresh, while the Canes will need to improve and show potential recruits they can join a winning program at Miami. Overall, though, it still seems like the gutsier call from the Notre Dame side.
Either way, it's exciting, and a game college football fans will surely look forward to, hype, and hype some more as we ready for the first matchup in October of 2012. It might not be as bloody as years past, but you can bet both sides will be ready to carry on a tradition when they step onto Soldier Field.
Who are you rooting for, and what did you like most about the classic Miami-Notre Dame battles in the 1980s? Does Notre Dame have what it takes to hang with Miami and exactly how many seconds will it take for these games to sell out? Drop a line in the comments with answers to any of those questions, and give your take on what could be an epic duel in 2012.
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