This loss for Notre Dame to Ohio State in the national title game wasn't Alabama 2013 all over again, but there were similarites. The differences were huge, though.

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.

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

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.

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