Notre Dame has some of the finest traditions in college football. Touchdown Jesus. The Walk Through from Sacred Heart. The Victory March. The playing of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture (and the forming of the first letter of the coach’s last name with fingertips). Real gold dust for the helmets. All of that is what can send chills through your spine (and make Ned Beatty cry) when you set foot on campus. This heritage is what makes Notre Dame the special place that it is.

But, the problem with being so bound to traditions is sort of complacency-being so pleased with the way that Notre Dame does things-that the school fails to see the landscape change around them. A sort of “Notre Dame has always done things this way, has won in doing things this way, and will continue to do things this way.”

Who cares if the competition has a leg up due to taking advantage of changes in the environment?

Better facilities? Notre Dame is about a spirit, not bricks and mortar.

Early admissions an recruiting offers)? Not the Notre Dame way.

Red-shirts? Notre Dame players graduate in 4 years.

Training Table/nutrition program? Our athletes are part of the student body, therefore they can eat the same as the students. That is the Notre Dame way.

To their credit, Notre Dame has done some conceding in the last years, allowing each of the changes mentioned above. It took until after this (the 2009) season, to get on the board with the nutrition program, though.

That’s right, it took until the year 2010, for a bunch of really smart people to admit that elite athletes should have the benefit of a proper nutrition program during the season to keep their bodies sharp and fueled. You mean a late night snack of Pepsi and Reese’s Cups (because there are no other food options) after a day of class, practice, lifting weights, and studying isn’t going to cut it?

And let’s face it, this revelation should have popped up before, it has been known for like a hundred years how important eating right is to helping the body perform its functions to the highest level.

Then again, Notre Dame has been behind the times before.

They just recently abandoned their method of sending messages to people’s homes.