Frank the Tank melts down after Notre Dame loses to BYU

Dave Portnoy got the whole thing in real time. Frank texted him through the game in Provo, and Portnoy posted the thread the next morning, start to finish.

Dave Portnoy

@stoolpresidente

Frank handled the ND loss with his typical grace

The texts are pure Frank. As he tells it, Kirk, McAfee, Fowler and Finebaum were all celebrating, Pop-Tarts were getting thrown at Notre Dame, and then, as the thread keeps going, 'Buster olney also celebrated.' None of that happened, obviously. Buster Olney is a baseball guy. That line is what made the thread go around, along with the photo of a snapped pair of glasses labeled 'Second pair,' which suggests the first pair went down earlier in the night. While he was texting Portnoy, Frank was also telling the rest of the internet about the ESPN conspiracy.

Here's the real game. No. 8 BYU beat No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Bear Bachmeier hit Walker Lyons for a 6-yard touchdown with 1:47 left to finish a 10-play, 55-yard drive. On the last play, CJ Carr threw into the end zone for Jaden Greathouse from the BYU 4, and it fell incomplete with contact on the play. That ended a 16-game Notre Dame winning streak in which every win came by double digits. Frank then went on camera.

Barstool Gambling

@stoolgambling

"THERE GOES NOTRE DAME'S SEASON. DOWN THE DRAIN." Frank reacts to the Notre Dame loss

Plenty of people saw this coming. On the Friday Tailgate Power Hour of Wake Up Barstool, T-Bob called the 10.5-point line a little big but still expected the Irish to handle it, even while openly rooting for BYU.

Wake Up Barstool

@wakeupbarstool

“It's maybe a tad too big, but I think Notre Dame probably wins like pretty comfortably.” – T-Bob

0:46

Frank's fear isn't totally crazy, even if ESPN isn't actually plotting to block Notre Dame for Mizzou and a Sun Belt team, like he spent the night tweeting. Notre Dame is 6-1 now, and the loss came on a wild Saturday when 5 of the top 7 teams went down, No. 1 Georgia included. One loss on a day like that isn't fatal. It just means the Irish don't control the committee's view of them anymore, and for Frank that might as well be the end of the world.

So keep an eye on the rankings this week, and on Frank's glasses supply. If Notre Dame drops further than he thinks it should, expect a third pair of glasses to go and more ESPN names on his list.