Frank the Tank blames ESPN after Notre Dame loses to BYU

Frank Fleming's first move after the loss was to name the people he blames. He wasn't upset with the defense or with Marcus Freeman. He went after Kirk Herbstreit and the network.

Frank Fleming

@NjTank99

Welp ther goes playoff hopes for Notre Dame Kirk Herbsuck gonna block them and eSPN is gonna get 7 SEC teams in

The game itself was brutal for Irish fans. BYU's Bear Bachmeier threw a 6-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Walker Lyons with 1:47 left. Notre Dame drove all the way back down the field, and the Cougars stopped them at the goal line on the final play. The loss dropped the Irish to 6-1 and ended a 16-game winning streak. BYU moved to 6-0 and got its first win over Notre Dame since 2004.

Most people didn't see it coming. BYU was a double-digit underdog on some boards, and on Friday's Wake Up Barstool Tailgate Power Hour, T-Bob said he was rooting for the Cougars but expected the Irish to handle them.

Wake Up Barstool

@wakeupbarstool

“I think Notre Dame probably wins like pretty comfortably.” – T-Bob

0:46

Then the night got going and Frank kept tweeting. That word 'again' is doing a lot of work. Irish fans haven't gotten over being left out of the field last December, and Frank says it's about to happen a second time, with ESPN pushing Mizzou and a Sun Belt team in ahead of a one-loss Notre Dame.

Frank Fleming

@NjTank99

ESPN is gonna fuck Notre dame out of playoff for fucking Mizzou and some lames as SUn Belt team again

The Herbstreit grudge actually has a fresh reason behind it. On ESPN's Get Up from Provo on Friday, Herbstreit called Notre Dame's schedule an 'embarrassment and incredibly unfair.' He said the Irish only play 2 regular-season games where they'll really be challenged, BYU and Miami. Notre Dame lost the first of those 2 a day later. Frank was never going to be calm about that timing, and by about 11:30 ET he was back on X saying ESPN will block Notre Dame from the playoff again. Then the video came out, and Stu Feiner found something to pick on besides the playoff math.

Stuart Feiner

@StuartFeiner

Frank’s forehead kind of looks like Johnny Sins meat when he goes full heated rant

Frank Fleming@NjTank99

t.co/38hGF7FiAM

That's how a Frank the Tank night usually goes. Something real happens, Frank melts down, and the Barstool crew piles on. It hit harder this time because it was a historic Saturday: 5 of the top 8 teams lost, and Georgia and Notre Dame, the top 2, both fell on the same day. Anyone hunting for a playoff conspiracy had plenty to work with. At 6-1 the Irish are still alive, but they have no conference title game to fall back on, so Miami is now close to a must-win. If that goes wrong, expect Frank to be back on camera.