In a comical coincidence, Barstool Sports’ employee and comedian “KB”, or Kevin Backlund, found a correlation between the death of the Pope and the record of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team.
During last week’s episode of Wake Up Barstool on its new home, Fox Sports, KB was asked for a prediction on Penn State’s season. KB punted on the question, instead offering this, “nothing on Penn State but it is a Pope death year, so look for Notre Dame to finish the season with nine wins…”
And with a line that sounded like a joke, the correlation was revealed. His co-hosts were astonished, asking how many times this has happened before.
“The last four,” he revealed. “2022, 2013, 2005, 1978… I didn’t sleep just to get that.”
“That is such a good stat that I am now convinced that Notre Dame is only going to win nine,” one of the hosts responds with a laugh. “I’ve said for weeks that they were going to 10-2 and now not at all.”
2022
The year is 2022, it is Marcus Freeman’s first season as the head coach in South Bend. He loses in Week 1 to a highly touted top ten team on the road. The next week, Marshall comes into South Bend and pulls off one of the most unlikely upsets in recent college football memory.
The Fighting Irish start the season 0-2, sound familiar?
That team would finish 9-4 with a win in the Gator Bowl.
Also in 2022, Pope Benedict XVI died on the final day of the year at the age of 95.
2013
The year is 2013. Brian Kelly is rallying the troops after a loss in the College Football Championship, sound familiar? Three losses to top ranked teams later, the Irish finish the season 9-4 once again, this time with a win in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Also in 2013, Pope Benedict becomes the first Pope to retire from the Papacy in nearly 600 years. Though he did not die, a substantial health concern forced him out of office. This is when the late Pope Francis took over.
2005
The year is 2005. Charlie Weis has just been given the keys to the campus. In his first season with Brady Quinn under center, Weis leads the Irish to a 9-2 regular season record. Their third loss came in the Fiesta Bowl as his 5th ranked Irish came up short against the 4th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
Also in 2005, Pope John Paul I passed away after 27 long years in the Vatican City.
With a 27 year vacancy, surely the trend didn’t continue, right?
1978
The year is 1978, Dan Devine has lead the Fighting Irish to two straight bowl wins. With Joe Montana calling the shots, the team starts off the season… with zero wins… and two losses. Alright now it’s getting weird. ND would rattle off eight wins in a row before losing to USC in the final game of the regular season. A victory in the Cotton Bowl would bring their record to 9-3…
Also in 1978, Pope Paul VI passes away after 15 years as the Pope.
Safe to say, there are a lot of comically ironic coincidences at play that point to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish finishing with nine wins on the year.
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