On the cusp of playing for a national championship, it appears Notre Dame is more than happy to remain an independent in football and not join a conference goin

Notre Dame and Ohio State entered the College Football Playoff as the No. 7 and No. 8 seeded teams. Neither won a conference; heck, Notre Dame isn't in a conference to win. Ohio State's loss to Michigan on November 30th knocked them out of the Big Ten title game.

While the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are celebrating their Orange Bowl victory this week, the rest of the college football world is debating if they should be in a conference. Before the Orange Bowl even kicked off on Thursday night,

In this CFP, the Irish are winning over some people. Or maybe they're just benefitting from the distaste many feel for their opponents.

It was some combination of religion, a grudge involving Knute Rockne and a rival, and maybe the simple time-honored notion that some people just don’t like Notre Dame

This Big Ten vs. independent matchup means this is the second straight year that the Southeastern Conference will be shut out of the final.

Per Front Office Sports, Notre Dame will earn $20 million for making the national title after defeating Penn State 27-24 in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Thursday night.

Once college football's perennial villain, Notre Dame has captured the hearts of fans nationwide. From their independent status to their Orange Bowl heroics, here's how the Fighting Irish became the unthinkable-likable.