<Tr> <Td> Virginia Tech </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td>--</Td> <Td> </Td> <Td>--</Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td>--</Td> <Td> 8 </Td> <Td>--</Td> <Td> 0 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="99"> Rankings from AP Poll </Td> </Tr> <P> The 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season . The Irish, coached by Lou Holtz, ended the season with 12 wins and no losses, winning the national championship . The Fighting Irish won the title by defeating the previously unbeaten and No. 3 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, by a score of a 34--21 . The 1988 squad, one of 11 national title squads for the Irish, is considered to be one of the best undefeated teams in the history of college football . The Irish beat the teams which finished the season ranked #2, #4, #5, and #7 in the AP Poll . They also won 10 of 12 games by double digits . The 1988 squad is best remembered for its 31 - 30 upset of No. 1 ranked Miami, ending their 36 - game regular season winning streak . The game is remembered to this day as one of the most memorable games in all of college football . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Date </Th> <Th> Time </Th> <Th> Opponent </Th> <Th> Rank </Th> <Th> Site </Th> <Th> TV </Th> <Th> Result </Th> <Th> Attendance </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> September 10 </Td> <Td> 9: 00 p.m. </Td> <Td> No. 9 Michigan </Td> <Td> No. 13 </Td> <Td> Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry) </Td> <Td> CBS </Td> <Td> W 19--17 </Td> <Td> 59,075 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> September 17 </Td> <Td> 12: 00 p.m. </Td> <Td> at Michigan State </Td> <Td> No. 8 </Td> <Td> Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (Megaphone Trophy) </Td> <Td> ABC </Td> <Td> W 20--3 </Td> <Td> 77,472 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> September 24 </Td> <Td> 12: 00 p.m. </Td> <Td> Purdue </Td> <Td> No. 8 </Td> <Td> Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (Shillelagh Trophy) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> W 52--7 </Td> <Td> 59,075 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> October 1 </Td> <Td> 7: 00 p.m. </Td> <Td> Stanford </Td> <Td> No. 5 </Td> <Td> Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry) </Td> <Td> ESPN </Td> <Td> W 42--14 </Td> <Td> 59,075 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> October 8 </Td> <Td> 4: 00 p.m. </Td> <Td> at Pittsburgh </Td> <Td> No. 5 </Td> <Td> Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry) </Td> <Td> ESPN </Td> <Td> W 30--20 </Td> <Td> 56,500 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> October 15 </Td> <Td> 2: 30 p.m. </Td> <Td> No. 1 Miami (FL) </Td> <Td> No. 4 </Td> <Td> Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (Catholics vs. Convicts) </Td> <Td> CBS </Td> <Td> W 31--30 </Td> <Td> 59,075 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> October 22 </Td> <Td> 12: 00 p.m. </Td> <Td> Air Force </Td> <Td> No. 2 </Td> <Td> Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> W 41--13 </Td> <Td> 59,075 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> October 29 </Td> <Td> 12: 00 p.m. </Td> <Td> vs. Navy </Td> <Td> No. 2 </Td> <Td> Memorial Stadium Baltimore, MD (rivalry) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> W 22--7 </Td> <Td> 54,929 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> November 5 </Td> <Td> 12: 00 p.m. </Td> <Td> Rice </Td> <Td> No. 1 </Td> <Td> Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN </Td> <Td> WGN - TV </Td> <Td> W 54--11 </Td> <Td> 59,075 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> November 19 </Td> <Td> 12: 00 p.m. </Td> <Td> Penn St . </Td> <Td> No. 1 </Td> <Td> Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN </Td> <Td> CBS </Td> <Td> W 21--3 </Td> <Td> 59,075 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> November 26 </Td> <Td> 3: 30 p.m. </Td> <Td> at No. 2 USC </Td> <Td> No. 1 </Td> <Td> Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles (Jeweled Shillelagh) </Td> <Td> ABC </Td> <Td> W 27--10 </Td> <Td> 93,829 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> January 2, 1989 </Td> <Td> 4: 30 p.m. </Td> <Td> vs. No. 3 West Virginia </Td> <Td> No. 1 </Td> <Td> Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl) </Td> <Td> NBC </Td> <Td> W 34--21 </Td> <Td> 74,911 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="10"> Rankings from AP Poll . All times are in Eastern Time . </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Who did notre dame beat in 1988 national championship