A couple nights ago the moon turned red. It was deemed a “blood moon” by the mainstream media. Thanks to a cloudy night in Columbus, I was unable to view it from the sky but the internet came through as it usually does, and allowed me to catch the rare occurrence. The next total lunar eclipse? October 8, 2033. Hopefully, I’ll be three days away from turning 48.

Two things make the lunar eclipse special. One, it looks absolutely amazing. Words do not do it justice. Two, it’s incredibly rare. It happened five times in the 1900s. Let me repeat, five times, in one-hundred years. You would be lucky to see it four times in your entire life.

There’s no surprises with the lunar eclipse as we know when the next one will be. It’s something calculable. There’s no guesswork involved. We don’t wake up one day, hoping to see another “blood moon.”

There’s something peaceful about that notion, of knowing EXACTLY when the next rare occurrence will take place. Most other things in life don’t work that way. They leave us guessing, waiting, hoping. It fosters an atmosphere of anxiety because sometimes even DURING a rare occurrence our brains are wondering if we’ll ever see this again. Talk about not living in the moment.

An upcoming “moment” will take place Saturday night when Notre Dame travels down South to visit the Clemson Tigers. Both teams enter undefeated, and only one will leave that way.

I started following Notre Dame football seriously in 1993. I was eight. In the 20+ years since, I’ve experienced five games when both Notre Dame and their opponent were undefeated after two weeks of football.

Last week I talked about appreciation, and how I hoped to do more of it. Well, this week we’ll take a look back at those five games and then a look ahead to the sixth against Clemson tomorrow night. All the while, trying to learn to appreciate things as they happen.

1) 1993 – #2 Notre Dame (9-0) vs. #1 Florida State (9-0)
Won 31-24

It was called the Game of The Century. #1 vs. #2. Lou Holtz vs. Bobby Bowden. It was the very first time ESPN’s College GameDay went live from a campus.

My two good friends Kevin and Erik came over to my house, which was a big deal for an eight-year-old. I remember flipping off the TV during a Bobby Bowden interview, which was an even bigger deal for an eight-year-old Catholic kid.

Specifics of the game have passed over time. But certain things stand out. Like the incredible opening montage NBC produced – it still gives me chills to this day. Or, after every ND touchdown, running upstairs to celebrate real quick with my Dad. And, calling an early-departing Kevin on the phone during the last few plays so we could all celebrate together.

It marked the beginning of my Notre Dame fandom. Who knew at the time that those celebratory moments would be few and far between.

2) 1996 – #5 Notre Dame (3-0) vs. #4 Ohio State (2-0)
Loss 29-16

The year before, Ohio State completely dominated the Irish in Columbus. That 1995 Buckeye team was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Eddie George, Orlando Pace and Mike Vrabel. They were men playing against boys in ’95.

A year later I thought the Irish would have better success against the Scarlet and Gray. I thought wrong.

In a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score would indicate, the Buckeyes rolled to a 29-16 win. Looking back now, I have no idea why I thought the Irish would win, they had Ron Powlus throwing passes.

3) 2002 – #7 Notre Dame (6-0) @ #18 Air Force (6-0)
Won 21-14

The “Return to Glory” season. Led by head coach Tyrone Willingham, Notre Dame was off to its best start in nearly a decade. They won their first eight that year, something that hadn’t happened since 1993. In fact, in the 23 years that I’ve been a Notre Dame fan, here are their best starts.

2012 – 12-0
1993 – 10-0
2002 – 8-0
2014 – 6-0
2015 – 4-0

Five times since 1993 the Irish have managed to win their first four games. If that doesn’t sum up the state of Notre Dame football I grew up with, I don’t know what will.

As for this game in particular against the Air Force, I honestly remember nothing. Looking at the stats, it shows the Irish completely dominated the Falcons, out-gaining them by nearly 300 yards. The score was much closer thanks to three ND turnovers, one of which was returned for an early Air Force touchdown.

And much like in 1993, when Boston College defeated Notre Dame, the Eagles would do the same in 2002, ending their chances of a perfect regular season.

4) 2012 – #20 Notre Dame (2-0) @ #10 Michigan State (2-0)
Won 20-3

Depending on what happens down the road, this game could be seen as the beginning of the Brian Kelly Era. He took Notre Dame, led by a freshman QB, into East Lansing and left with a resounding top-ten road victory.

Didn’t get to watch any of this contest live, but received plenty of in-game updates from my buddy Devin, who was raving about how good the defense was playing. They even received a compliment from my father, who said afterwards, “they have a good defense.” Trust me, that is a five-star review from my dad.

ND would run the table in 2012, culminating in a trip to the National Championship Game. Later on this year I will be ranking my favorite individual teams and I have a strong feeling that 2012 ND football squad may be close to the top.

5) 2014 – #5 Notre Dame (6-0) @ #2 Florida State (6-0)
Loss 31-27

It’s still difficult watching that last play unfold. I may be biased, but how an official can call offensive pass interference to take away the game-winning TD is beyond me. I want to live in a world where things like that don’t happen. But unfortunately I do not.

It was an exciting, well-played back-and-forth affair between two top-five teams that ultimately was ruined by an official. #FirstWorldProblems.

6) 2015 – #6 Notre Dame (4-0) @ #12 Clemson (3-0) – TBD

This is usually where Talking Heads will give you their pick on who will win and will tell you why. That stuff is just noise and it’s mostly all garbage. No one really knows.

Here is what I do know. It’s going to rain … a lot. The ability to run the ball, control the line of scrimmage and limit turnovers will go a long way determining the outcome (as it usually does, in most football games). So far this year the Irish have done those things. They haven’t done it against a team as talented as Clemson, but will get an opportunity to do so Saturday night. Get your popcorn ready.

No matter what happens tomorrow, this game – and the tremendous build-up to it – is a testament to Brian Kelly. He’s done an outstanding job recruiting and developing talent. He’s also a very good in-game coach and for the most part, I’ve trusted every decision he’s made. Notre Dame is lucky to have him, and whenever he decides to bolt for the NFL, he will leave the Irish in much better shape than what he inherited.

This upcoming game is my personal “blood moon.” Except I have no idea when – or if – I’ll see one again. All I can do is sit back and appreciate the experience.

Peace Be The Journey