Notre Dame football stands on the brink of its first national championship since 1988 and nothing seems right in the world, except everything makes sense

Speaking at media day Saturday in advance of the national title game, Pete Bevacqua, in his first year guiding the Notre Dame athletic department, called the premiere of the 12-team playoff “a wonderful success, but look at who you’re talking to.”

The teams in Monday’s national championship game rely on high school recruits, and have mined the NCAA transfer portal selectively.