Notre Dame all-time great Aaron Taylor challenged Notre Dame fans on CBS Sports’ College Football Today earlier this week. The 2021 College Football Hall of Fame inductee said that Notre Dame fans just aren’t loud when discussing the home-field advantage of playing at home for the Irish over Indiana in next Friday’s first-ever playoff game in Notre Dame Stadium.
Here’s the thing about this: Aaron Taylor is not wrong. For the most part, if we’re honest with ourselves, Notre Dame Stadium has not been one of the more intimidating places to play in college football. Notre Dame has done a phenomenal job of improving the gameday experience and making it one of the most family-friendly environments in all of sports. That, however, has been at least in part at the expense of creating a hostile environment.
There was a time in the 1980s when Notre Dame Stadium was one of the loudest places to play—just ask Michigan. In 1989, the home crowd was so loud that Notre Dame was penalized with a delay-of-game penalty because of the noise. Since then, the stadium has gotten quieter despite getting bigger. Outside of a few really big games, Notre Dame Stadium isn’t as loud as some other environments.
Taylor, one of the hosts of College Football Today, knew what he was doing in issuing his challenge to fans. He wants a true home-field advantage for the Irish when they host Indiana next week. The Hoosiers have had a hard enough time this year handling stout defensive lines. If fans make Notre Dame Stadium sound like it did for USC in 2005, Michigan in 2018, and Ohio State last year, the Hoosiers could have a long night.
There could be some inherent challenges with creating that hostile environment for this game, though. Reports on Thursday suggested that the CFP will control the music and video boards in the home stadiums for the first-round playoff games. That would mean that the visiting teams will likely be treated much more friendly on the jumbotron than they otherwise would. It could also mean that the opposing team’s fight songs will be played in the home stadiums of the higher seeds.
Regardless of what is on the screen, Notre Dame needs its fans to bring their A game in the stands while the Irish bring their A game on the field. Because Florida State turned out to be one of the worst teams in all of football this year, the only big home game this season was a mid-afternoon tilt with Louisville. In 2023, Notre Dame hosted two top-10 opponents in night games – Ohio State and USC. The environment for both was electric. Fans need to bring that same energy next week – including before the game by not selling their tickets. There was fear of an “Ohio State takeover” similar to the one Georgia pulled off in 2017. That never materialized, however, and the few Buckeye fans spattered throughout the stadium were never heard from much.
