Under Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame has lost at home against the likes of Marshall, Northern Illinois and Stanford. He's only been a head coach for three years and, largely due to Notre Dame's status as an independent,

Notre Dame won the Orange Bowl because this program knows how to catalyze every advantage and how to tackle every challenge.

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman has scored a historical first. Freeman, whose Fighting Irish won their Orange Bowl college football semifinal game on Thursday, will be the first Black and first Asian American coach to compete in the national championship game.