LSU Fans Are Having a Tough Time with Notre Dame’s Orange Bowl Win

Last night was the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It served as the semi-final game for this year's College Football Playoff system. The game featured Notre Dame against Penn State, both were ranked in the top 5 of the college playoff rankings.

Final score was 27-24, Notre Dame winning on a field goal in the final minute.

There was a ton of attention on the game nationwide, because the winner secured their spot in the National Championship Game. But a few fanbases were a little more interested than others. More than just the obvious Notre Dame and Penn State fanbases, fans of other programs had a vested interest in the outcome of this game.

One of those fanbases, belongs to the LSU Tigers.

LSU football fans were very interested to see what Notre Dame did, since they're the program that the Tigers ripped their current head coach from. Notre Dame winning their way into the National Championship has struck a deep nerve with LSU fans. Which you can see on social media and deep in the message boards.

The reason LSU fans are worked up right now is that Brian Kelly left Notre Dame to come to LSU with the explicit intent to win a national championship. In fact, he commented on that when explaining why someone would leave a legendary job like Notre Dame for Baton Rouge...

“I want to be in an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship."

Well, since Kelly has come to LSU, he has done some things. He got Jayden Daniels to come to Louisiana through the transfer portal, and helped guide him to a Heisman Trophy. He won a SEC Division title, and has made it to three straight bowl games (all three wins).

But the big knock against Kelly right now, and this is being echoed across message boards and social media, is that the man who picked up the pieces at Notre Dame is now knocking on the door of a National Championship Game. In a place that Kelly said he had to leave to be in that position.

In the wake of Kelly leaving Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman stepped in. He was Brian Kelly's Defensive Coordinator when Kelly left, and remained with the Fighting Irish. Freeman took over the Head Coach position full time, and has been running parallel with Kelly's LSU tenure.

In Freeman's first three full seasons, he's been bowl eligible in each season. Making it to the Gator Bowl his first year (win) and Sun Bowl his second year (win). Then this season, his Notre Dame squad punched a ticket to the expanded College Football Playoff system. Three wins into the playoffs, and they're in the National Championship game. Meanwhile Kelly is on the recruiting trail.

There are things that Kelly has done at LSU so far that Freeman hasn't matched at Notre Dame (Heisman winner), but Freeman is now heading to a National Championship Game, and LSU fans are really paying attention.

You know Kelly is paying attention too.