Adam Rittenberg Nov 7, 2026, 11:21 PM ET

Close

College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- As Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman spoke at his news conference late Saturday, he caught a glimpse of safety Luke Talich encouraging the crowd outside and smiled.

"Enjoy it!" Freeman told Talich and the other players as they entered the media room. "Y'all earned it!"

Notre Dame's 31-24 win against No. 1 Miami wasn't like the others the team had earned this season. The stakes couldn't have been higher for the Irish, who had lost their other signature game Oct. 17 at BYU and were slotted at No. 11 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.…