Brian Kelly on Notre Dame's Critics: 'We're Going to Keep Banging'

When the College Football Playoff finalists were announced, no selection was more controversial than No. 4 Notre Dame, which got in ahead of teams like one-loss Texas A&M and undefeated Cincinnati despite being blown out in the ACC title game vs. Clemson, 34-10.

Add in the fact that since the BCS era began in 1998, Notre Dame is 0-6 in New Year's Six bowl games or BCS/CFP contests, and plenty of people didn't believe Notre Dame was a worthy CFP selection this year.

But head coach Brian Kelly isn't worried about the program's detractors.

"Only one team gets to celebrate at the end of the year," he told reporters. "We're going to keep banging, and we're going to keep getting back here, and that's our job. That's our challenge each and every year is to compete for a national championship, and we'll continue to do that."

Kelly also noted that the team has consistently been among the top teams in the country in recent years:

"We're knocking at the door every year, playing really good teams and great opponents and they're elite football teams. I don't know why this narrative continues to pop up when we're always in the game. No, we haven't won a national championship. That's correct. And, you know, I'm not changing the record. But we are there every single year and we are grinding it out just like everybody else."

Notre Dame will go into its New Year's Day matchup with Alabama as 20-point underdogs, a shocking number for a game between the Nos. 1 and 4 teams in the nation. In its last CFP appearance at the 2018 Cotton Bowl, Notre Dame was worked by Clemson, losing 30-3. 

And as ESPN's Dave Wilson noted, Notre Dame finished No. 4 "despite suffering the biggest loss by an eventual playoff team in the playoff era (24 points in a 34-10 loss to Clemson in the ACC title game)."

Add it all up and, yes, Notre Dame has its fair share of doubters. All that's left to do for the Fighting Irish is to prove them wrong.

"It's motivating," said running back Kyren Williams. "Not everybody in the world believes in us, and it's OK because we don't want anybody to believe in us besides us. We're going to go out there on Friday and do what we do best. Being an underdog is nothing new to us, and we're going to keep proving to the world who we are."