LSU head coach Brian Kelly left Notre Dame because he felt like he couldn’t win a national championship there. Well, the Fighting Irish are a win away from proving him very, very wrong.

Notre Dame is one win away from a long-awaited national championship victory, and the man who helped set the foundation for the program to reach the pinnacle of the s

The Fighting Irish were coming off their worst three-year stretch in some time when Kelly was hired. Through his 12 years in South Bend, Kelly compiled seven records of 10 or more wins and coached 55 NFL Draft picks, including 10 first-rounders.

In a conversation with CBS Sports, Kelly indicated that he believes the Irish can defeat Ohio State in the College Football Playoff title game and finally win another national championship, something he failed to do in 12 seasons with the program. Here’s the quote in full:

The Fighting Irish’s 27-24 Orange Bowl win over Penn State at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida proved former Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly very wrong about why he left the program.

The program he left, Notre Dame, is preparing for the College Football Playoff national championship against Ohio State on Jan. 20 in Atlanta, under the guidance of Marcus Freeman. The program Kelly joined after leaving Notre Dame in November 2021, LSU, missed this year's College Football Playoff for the third consecutive season under his watch.

In total, Notre Dame has gone 33-9 under Freeman, with wins in the Gator Bowl, Sun Bowl, and three College Football Playoff games. Over that same period, LSU has gone 29-11 under Kelly, and has never reached the CFP.

Former Notre Dame football star Brady Quinn gives a dig at LSU head coach Brian Kelly amid the Irish's momentous run

Ryan Day and his Ohio State Buckeyes defeated Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23 in the College Football National Championship, vindicating Brian Kelly (for no

Kelly is "rooting for" his old program heading into the National Championship Game, excited for his former players.