« Coaching Carousel On High | Main | 5 Things - 11/29/06 »
My Token Nice Column about Notre Dame
November 28, 2006
By Benjamin Miraski
Let's be honest. Anyone who knows me knows I have no love for Notre Dame. They are (these days) consistently overrated. Their fans are (often, not always) overly enthusiastic. Expectations of a National Championship are (most often) over reaching.
I think Pete Fiutak at Fox Sports put it best:
"This just in to anyone paying attention: Notre Dame was overrated to start the season, it's overrated going into the BCS, it was overrated last year. This is a team that got by over the last two seasons on a near-miss in a classic loss to USC. In other words, it's Cal.Michigan whacked the Irish 47-21 in South Bend. Fine, so the Irish beat Georgia Tech, who'll probably win the ACC title, but the next best win this year was against, um, uh, Navy? UCLA? Remember that it took a miracle meltdown to beat the Bruins as well as Michigan State. This team has no secondary, no pass protection, and got by on bombing away and hoping for the best. "
Ok, so, while I am not a big Notre Dame fan, there is something I am going to say that may shock you.
Notre Dame deserves to play in a BCS bowl game.
There, I said it. If you read a few days ago, you know I have them still projected to the Rose Bowl, although others are now saying that Saturday's loss was too great to still get there. They are thinking the Irish might be passed over for LSU or Louisville and slip to the Sugar Bowl. Either way, they will be going.
Here are five reasons why Notre Dame deserves to go.
#1, I went to a game at Notre Dame this season and they put on a great show. The atmosphere on campus is something to see, from the band playing and marching to the stadium, to the throngs of people that come out. I would say they rival any SEC school for atmosphere around their team (though I still think that going to any football game in the South, SEC or southern based ACC teams, wins out because football is such a part of the total culture there). That spirit travels with Notre Dame where ever they go. That is a big consideration when it comes to the BCS or any bowl, and therefore, Notre Dame should get the benefit of the doubt when being selected to a bowl game that some people think they may not have earned, even if that bowl is the Gator Bowl.
#2, It might be unwarranted in the eyes of other teams' fans, but let's be honest. Notre Dame did what it had to in order to be eligible for the BCS games. Remember, this is the first year that the requirements are more stringent for Notre Dame. Previously, they would have been automatically in at this point (I think). This year, they aren't. They are only on the list of teams that can be considered. They got the votes in the human polls that they needed, and the computers gave them enough support through SOS (Strength of Schedule) and their record to make it to the top 10. They met the requirements, period.
#3, For those who say "SOS?! They have no SOS! They played Army, Navy, and Air Force!" Actually, Navy and Air Force probably helped the SOS of the Irish. And Army is still better than dropping down to I-AA to face schools that won less than 10% of the games that they played against the upper division. It is tough to find too many teams that didn't take that almost automatic win.
Schedules are in place years in advance in most cases. Outside of the military academies, ND could do nothing about the performance of North Carolina, the collapse of Michigan State, or the struggles of Stanford. Even with playing middle of the pack Big Ten teams, they are still scheduling better than playing numerous MAC or Sun Belt teams. The only thing they miss by not being in a conference is having guaranteed difficult games on their schedule. They usually still accomplish this through playing Michigan and USC.
Scheduling for the Irish doesn't get "easier" either moving forward. Next season, Boston College replaces Army, although Duke replaces North Carolina. I think that is a net "harder". They play on the road at Penn State, Michigan, and UCLA, which should make some of their tough games even tougher. So, while I will say that on paper, the schedule looks easy, look at everyone else's schedule in comparison before you make the judgement that the Irish don't play one of the ten toughest schedules in the nation.
#4, Money. If they are eligible, they are going to get picked. And they will always get the benefit of the doubt because of their name, and the guaranteed money that comes with it. No school in the country has a bigger draw. That is why every Notre Dame game is televised somewhere. So getting them to come to your bowl is a great thing. No one is going to give that up. That is why ND is the #2 choice for the Rose Bowl in my mind after Michigan (Or SC if there is a huge shake-up).
#5, Without the BCS, Notre Dame would still be going to one of the BCS bowls. Think about it. They would be headed down to play in at least the Orange Bowl no matter what. They are a bigger name than any team out of the Big East, and they would bring the fans and money (See #1 and #4). I can't see the Orange Bowl passing them up for another team if the world was like it was in years prior to the BCS. Notre Dame is a college football institution, and like it or not, like Michigan, like USC, like Penn State, they will always get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their selection.
Now, those of you who seem to think that I have an unwarranted grudge against the Irish, or that my computer somehow contains an "Irish factor", can rest easy. I am on your side on this one. Of course, I still don't think that Notre Dame will win the BCS bowl. They did, however, earn their shot.
Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com
Posted November 28, 2006 4:15 PM