Former quarterback Cam Newton made a bold claim while appearing on ESPN’s First Take.
Newton has been critical of the College Football Playoff field and took aim at one prestigious program in particular: Notre Dame.
Newton called the Fighting Irish “college football’s Dallas Cowboys” and said they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.
“Nobody wants to see them,” he said. “Do they have a legacy organization and program? Absolutely. Rudy! Rudy! Yeah, that’s about the last time.
“We see these types of teams; there’s no such thing as a Cinderella story in college football. Every time you try to root for the underdog, they get smashed. Come on, now.”
Newton’s comments were a continuation of his disdain for teams he views as coasting on past glories. In his eyes, Notre Dame parallels the Dallas Cowboys – more hype than substance.
Clearly, Newton hasn’t watched the 2024 Fighting Irish.
Sure, the one and only loss to Northern Illinois was hideous and downright inexcusable. However, Marcus Freeman’s team dominated the rest of their schedule and more than earned their spot in the playoff field.
Fellow ESPN’er Ryan Clark was quick to snap back at Newton and defend the Irish.
Clark, whose son Jordan plays for Notre Dame, passionately stuck up for the program.
“This is what I know because I make every game; I go to every single game my son plays,” Clark said. “All I know is we was at Texas A&M and we walked out as a winner.
“There’s other SEC teams that went in there and got their doors blown off. My actual alma mater (LSU) went there and lost the game.”
Newton shot back, insisting Texas A&M was “the eighth-best team in the SEC.” He argued that Notre Dame’s success against a middling SEC opponent hardly proved its readiness for the playoff stage.
Despite the heated exchange, Clark conceded part of Newton’s analogy, agreeing that Notre Dame shares some similarities with the Cowboys.
“They are; they absolutely are,” Clark said. “They’re America’s college team… And I can be honest about this, the coolest thing about my son going to Notre Dame is that was my dream school.
“Because at home, I didn’t watch LSU play every Saturday, but I watched Notre Dame play every single Saturday. The same way there’s so many people that are [Atlanta] Braves fans or Chicago Cubs fans, because those networks broadcast their games all the time. And if you got them, you got to see them.
Clark pointed to Notre Dame’s depth as the key differentiator between them and SEC powerhouses. While the Fighting Irish have top-end talent, they lack the depth of four- and five-star backups typical of SEC teams.
“I look at Notre Dame right now, and the difference I’m going to say between Notre Dame and some of these SEC schools is depth,” he said.
“When they get hurt on the top end, they’re not gonna have that five-star always backing up that four-star. They’re not gonna have that player, that once you lose the guy, the next guy stepping up has that experience or can play on that level.
“I agree with that, but top-end? They can line up across from everybody. But here’s the other thing: if you don’t think they’re good, then go beat them.”
Needless to say, Notre Dame safely made the playoff field as the No. 7 seed. The only surprise was that they weren’t ranked higher.
The Irish will face the No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers in an in-state showdown on December 20 at 8pm EST.
With all due respect to Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers, Notre Dame should certainly win that game and advance.
It’s in that next round where things will get very interesting because the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs will be waiting and they may very well be without star quarterback Carson Beck.
Getting back to Newton … He’s obviously a polarizing figure who’s known to say some pretty outrageous things.
If we’re being honest, he probably said what he did about Notre Dame because he knew it’d get plenty of attention.
At the end of the day, 99.99% of college football fans know the Irish certainly deserve to be in the playoffs.
What are your thoughts on Newton’s controversial comments???
