Both were independent teams, and the Irish's win over No. 2 Miami earlier in the season made this game a de facto national title game. Notre Dame had an impressive 1988 season as a whole.

The Observer revisits Notre Dame’s 1973, 1977 and 1988 championships, highlighting parallels to the team’s 2024 title pursuit.

They're the architects of Notre Dame's last national championship ... In all, the Fighting Irish beat five ranked opponents in 1988: No. 10 Michigan, No. 1 Miami, No. 2 USC and No. 3 West Virginia.

Miami ended its streaks of 23 straight losses to power conference opponents, 20 consecutive in the ACC and 10 in a row this ...