Despite Notre Dame’s strong close to the season and a surge that pushed them into contention, Meyer pointed to the simplest metric. That’s the fact that the Hurricanes beat the Irish on the field. In the end, that’s what mattered most to the committee.

Urban Meyer didn’t just win games. He dominated them. Across four FBS programs, Meyer racked up an 85 percent win rate and three national championships. That kind of résumé speaks for itself. His impact has been acknowledged by former players,