Why does Notre Dame have such a large football following when it hasn't won a national championship since 1988? Originally answered on Oct. 26, 2015.
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Answer by Mark Holdener, who attended Notre Dame from 1991-95 and was a member of the football practice squad for a year:
The short answer is that having won a national championship in the last five to 10 years is not a requirement for having a large fan base. One could ask the same question of programs such as Nebraska, Michigan, Oregon, etc.
However, some of the facts below may shed some light on the appeal of Fighting Irish football.
Number of wins: As of Sept. 5, Notre Dame had the second-most wins in the Football Bowl Subdivision, 886 to Michigan's 920.
Winning percentage: As of Sept. 5, Notre Dame has the highest winning percentage among these teams at .732.
Number of national championships: Among these same programs, Notre Dame, with 22, has won the third-most national championships since the start of college football in 1869, behind Princeton (28) and Yale (27). From the beginning of the poll era in 1936, Notre Dame (eight) trails only Alabama (10) in total number of championships.
Heisman Trophies won: Notre Dame, with seven, is tied for the most winners of the award given to college football's most outstanding player. Ohio State and USC also have seven (Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy was later vacated, but we'll still count USC's total as seven.)
National prominence: Notre Dame football has remained independent (avoided joining a conference) simply because it can. It began building a national reputation in football through its series with Navy and USC. The series with the Midshipmen has continued uninterrupted since 1927, while the series with the Trojans dates to 1926. By playing games from coast to coast for such a long period of time, Notre Dame has been able to recruit players nationally. Certainly the explosion of TV channels carrying college football and the arrival of the internet has loosened the hold of traditional powers on top talent, but Notre Dame has remained competitive most seasons even when it is not challenging for the national title.
Feel free to read more at the links listed below. Perhaps a better question might be, "Why would anyone under the age of 20 care much about Notre Dame football?" Being an old fogey, I am not the person to answer that question.
List of NCAA football teams by wins
College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS
Heisman Trophy Winners by School
Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry
Notre Dame–USC football rivalry