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Notre Dame football is just one year removed from a magical trip to the national championship game, a 34-23 loss to Ohio State. Before that, the Irish were one win away from their first NCAA title since 1988 in 2012. The Irish were a perfect 12-0 after the regular season and jumped from the No. 3 overall seed to No. 1 after both Kansas State and Oregon lost on Nov. 11. Although the magic dried up in the national championship game — Alabama led 28-0 at halftime and won 42-14 — the season was chock-full of core memories for all Notre Dame football fans.

Manti Te’o led the country’s second-best defense in points per game (12.8), recording 55 solo tackles, 113 total tackles and a remarkable seven interceptions. He finished second in Heisman voting behind Johnny Manziel, although he is perhaps now best known for dating a catfish. Disregarding his off-field drama, Te’o was razor close to becoming the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodsen of 1997. No true defensive player has won since, and only current NFL star Aidan Hutchinson (2021) has been a finalist in the last 13 years.

The Irish surrendered more than 18 points against an opponent just twice —the national championship game — and a 29-26 overtime win over Pitt on Nov. 3 at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and a fumble in the second overtime to win a game they had absolutely no business winning. Just three weeks later, Brian Kelly’s squad was No. 1 overall.

The win over Pitt was not the only close call at Notre Dame Stadium. Every single win at home was a one-score victory, and two were in overtime. Their famous goal-line stand against No. 17 Stanford on October 13 is one of the most lasting highlights from the season. Led by stud interior lineman Louis Nix and Te’o, Notre Dame put up a memorable goal-line stand: Stanford had first and goal from the four and third and goal from the inch line. On back-to-back plays, Notre Dame stuffed running back Stepfan Taylor for no gain. Even a half-yard gain would have resulted in a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 20-19 in overtime with an extra point (or two-point conversion) looming.

Stanford was one of four ranked wins for the Irish, including an early-season upset of No. 10 Michigan State at East Lansing, 20-3, and a 13-6 victory over rival Michigan the following weekend in September. Those two wins proved the Irish were legit, and they hammered that point home in a 30-13 victory over No. 8 Oklahoma in Week 8. Although the score is deceiving, the game was tied 13-13 with 5:06 to play in the fourth quarter. This was another big win in a memorable season. Te’o picked off Sooners’ quarterback, Landry Jones, after Everett Golson’s go-ahead rushing score, setting up a field goal to extend Notre Dame’s late lead to two scores.

The Te’o girlfriend catfish news and the blowout in the national championship game have come to overshadow Notre Dame Football’s incredible 2012 season. The Irish went from unranked to undefeated over the course of a 13-week regular season, and the only thing that stopped them was a 44-day break between their season finale (a 22-13 win over USC in Los Angeles) and the Alabama game on Jan. 7. At the time the season concluded, Notre Dame’s 12 wins were tied for the most in school history with 1988 and 1989, and have only been surpassed by 2024’s 14 victories. With a Heisman runner-up, an elite defense and just enough scoring, the 2012 team helped put Notre Dame back on the map in the 21st century after years of mediocrity. They deserve to be remembered fondly.