Irish still a major draw

Lots of long faces around ND Nation on Friday.

Luck of the Irish? Luck of the draw.

Results of the Notre Dame football ticket lottery were announced
Friday. University officials anticipated refunding nearly $3 million
to those whose names weren't chosen in the process.

It was the greatest demand for tickets since 2008, which, really, is
difficult to interpret.

It isn't easy to get into the head of a Notre Dame football fan.

Winning means everything to those blue-and-gold-bleeding folks who
don't bat an eye at putting down some pretty big bucks to sit through
a bunch of excruciatingly long TV timeouts framed around the
occasional block and tackle.

More than 30,000 tickets are available via the lottery — involving
contributing alumni — for each home game this season. Notre Dame's
Sept. 22 date with Michigan (more than 40,000) and the Oct. 13 contest
with Stanford (39,000-plus) generated the most interest.

The Shamrock Series off-site home game at Chicago's Soldier Field with
Miami received more than 65,000 requests, the most of the four-year
event.

Thinking back to 2008: The Irish were coming off a 3-9 season. Jimmy
Clausen was a sophomore. No way could he take punishment like he had
the year before. Right?

San Diego State and Syracuse, along with the usual suspects, didn't
necessarily make the Irish home schedule marquee quality that year.

Not quite sure what would have fueled such a groundswell of interest
for tickets back then.

Fast-forward a regime. Why would the third year of the Brian Kelly era
conjure more interest than the first, which was supposed to be a
breath of fresh air?

Maybe fans remember what Lou Holtz (12-0), Dan Devine (11-1) and Ara
Parseghian (9-0-1) did in their third seasons. Of course, they must
have forgotten how Gerry Faust (7-5), Bob Davie (5-7), Tyrone
Willingham (6-6) and Charlie Weis (3-9) navigated theirs.

One thing about the Irish: No matter the record, they travel well.

Notre Dame's Oct. 27 visit to Oklahoma has been one of the most
desired road tickets of all-time.

And then there's Ireland.

When the Irish pack their gear and head overseas for their Sept. 1
season debut against Navy, there will be about 40,000 countrymen
following. Notre Dame's allotment of 7,500 tickets was snatched up in
a matter of hours. Many fans are making the pilgrimage without a
ticket in hand — just hoping.

Officials in Ireland are comparing the influx of fans for this game
with the interest generated by the Ryder Cup golf event, as well as
the Special Olympics.

But, there is a problem.

Dublin has run out of hotel rooms.

According to the Irish Independent newspaper in Dublin, all the hotels
in the city have been booked. Those without reservations are being
diverted to a nearby smaller city. Also, there has been a plea to find
apartment rentals that could be secured for a two- or three-night
stay.

The game will be played in the early afternoon, Dublin time. That
means TV coverage will begin on CBS at 9 a.m. (EDT), not the optimal
kickoff time. There's a high-profile rugby match scheduled in Dublin
later in the day Sept. 1. The American football fans need to be out of
the way, so the "real" Irish athletes can command center stage.

That's OK. More time to drink in the culture.

One thing Irish fans do better than supporting their team — drinking
in the culture.

It's been two decades since Notre Dame last was a factor in the
national championship picture. Critics can't understand why its
football independence, which can be construed as smugness, is
tolerated. Why did the recently devised playoff formula allow the
Irish their own path?

Maybe all this has something to do with it. Difficult though it might
be for some to admit, Notre Dame football really is relevant.

The interesting time will be when the Irish are relevant — and good.