Where did it all go wrong for Notre Dame? Two years ago, the Fighting Irish entered its BCS Championship game against Alabama as the No. 1 team in the nation. Fast forward to present day and the team finds itself playing in the 2014 Music City Bowl.

In that span, Notre Dame has seen disappointment both on and off the field. Whether it was Manti Te’o’s exposed girlfriend hoax or Everett Golson’s year-long suspension, South Bend has seen better times. But it all began with the Irish’s 42-14 loss to Alabama.

The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 28-0 lead at halftime and matched Notre Dame in scoring during the second half. The loss exposed the Irish, who entered at 12-0, as a perceived “overrated” team.

Notre Dame went 9-4 the following season, including a 24-20 win against Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl. The season wasn’t terrible, but still a far cry from the BCS title game appearance from the previous year.

In 2014, Golson returned as the team’s starting quarterback. The Irish opened the season at 6-0 before suffering its first loss to No. 2 FSU on Oct. 18. Notre Dame would bounce back with a win against Navy before dropping its last four games to end the season at 7-5.

The team’s bad fortune will likely continue against an underrated LSU team next week. The Tigers have a young roster that should be prepared for their upcoming bowl game.

Notre Dame has struggled against teams with less talent than LSU in 2014 and the Music City Bowl should be no exception. Oddly enough, the Irish’s bad fortune began in a bowl game against an SEC West opponent and should continue in 2014.