On Saturday at Yankee Stadium, Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish played Army's Black Knights in one of the great rivalries in college football. Once known as “The Game,” the teams’ first meeting in 1913 was the moment the forward pass modernized the sport . Over a century later, this year’s game was special in its own way: It’s the one moment this season when Americans could see on one field both the very worst and what's left of the best in major-college football.
In this era, there’s nearly no connection between athletes and their schools anymore, with tornado-level turnover expected every season. The endorsement-supercharged transfer portal has turned college football coaching into a cross between speed dating and a pickup game. It’s like attempting leadership inside a washing machine. Coaches literally buy time-limited “loyalty” with car dealership dollars. Some — like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders — barely bother to show up for in-person class .