Beat SC

On a warm, sunny California autumn evening, the Irish ride again.

The team who has had such legendary leaders such as Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy now has at its helm he robot genius, Charlie Weis. Winner of 4 Super Bowl titles in the NFL, Weis has his sights set on a new ring for his fist.

The school that has produced legendary quarterbacks like Paul "Golden Boy" Hornung, Joe Theismann, and Joe Montana, now has their greatest quarterback leading the charge.

This school, with all of its mystique, tradition, and constant drive for excellence stands poised to send a message to the college football world.

On the other sideline today will be the frauds of Southern Cal. The school with more murderers invited to their sideline than any other school. The school with the most NCAA violations ever to get swept under the rug. The school that is a mirror reflection of its Hollywood home - glitzy and glamorous on the surface, seedy, corrupt and defiled on the inside.

The classic battle of good vs. evil rages today. The Evil Empire of Southern Cal, with their empty promises and blackened hearts tries to maintain their ill-gotten grip on college football. The Notre Dame Fightin' Irish are the rebellion - the idealists who still believe in truth, justice, and the American way.

For too long, our team has been held back by leadership that could not meet their expectations, and now that we have adults in charge, we aim to retake our position at the top of college football.

All that remains for this team is to achieve the one goal that they have thus failed to do in their college careers.

Beat SC.

It doesn't have to be close...

BEAT SC.

BEAT SC.

BEAT SC.

BEAT SC.

BEAT SC.

1-loss Comparison

With the inevitable comparison of 1-loss teams for the championship, I figured I'd break down the numbers between Notre Dame and the other 1-loss teams. Because the rankings are flawed, I ordered them by ranking of the opponent they lost to.

I'll update this each week until the end of the season.

Wisconsin
Wins: 10
Losses: 1 [to #2 Michigan (11-0)]
Wins over BCS teams: 6
Wins over non-BCS teams: 3
Wins over bowl eligible teams: 3
Wins over I-AA opponents: 1
Remaining games:
Buffalo (2-8)
Wins over BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
Purdue (7-4)
Penn State (7-4)
Iowa (6-5)
Wins over non-BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
NONE
Wins over teams on the bubble:
Bowling Green (4-6)
Indiana (5-6)
Minnesota (5-6)

Arguments for: Only loss is to #2 Michigan
Arguments Against: Strength of Schedule. They haven't beaten anybody. No wins against ranked opponents, and have an extremely weak non-conference schedule. No big games to increase their ranking from here on.

Notre Dame
Wins: 9
Losses: 1 [to #2 Michigan (11-0)]
Wins over BCS teams: 7
Wins over non-BCS teams: 2
Wins over bowl eligible teams: 4
Wins over I-AA opponents: 0
Remaining games:
Army (3-7)
#4 Southern Cal (9-1)
Wins over BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
#18 Georgia Tech (8-2)
Penn State (7-4)
Purdue (7-4)
Wins over non-BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
Navy (7-3)
Wins over teams on the bubble:
UCLA (5-5)
Air Force (4-5)

Arguments for: Only loss is to undefeated #2 Michigan, and they have beaten the ACC Coastal champion. No games against I-AA opponents. Has shown an uncanny knack to rally and get the win.
Arguments against: No wins over top-ten teams (yet). Got creamed by Michigan at home by 26 points. Has shown an uncanny knack to have to rally and get the win.

Arkansas
Wins: 9
Losses: 1 [to #4 Southern Cal (9-1)]
Wins over BCS teams: 6
Wins over non-BCS teams: 3
Wins over bowl eligible teams: 3
Wins over I-AA opponents: 1
Remaining games:
Mississippi State (3-7)
#9 LSU (8-2)
SEC Championship [likely against #3 Florida (9-1)]
Wins over BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
#15 Auburn (7-3)
Alabama (6-5)
#23 Tennessee (7-3)
Wins over non-BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
NONE
Wins over teams on the bubble:
South Carolina (5-5)

Arguments for: Has beaten two ranked teams, loss was to a top five team in first game of season before they started QB Mustain.
Arguments against: Have beaten only 3 bowl eligible teams. Got absolutely KILLED by Southern Cal at home to the tune of 50-14 - a 36 point blowout.

Louisville
Wins: 8
Losses: 1 [to #8 Rutgers (9-0)]
Wins over BCS teams: 6
Wins over non-BCS teams: 2
Wins over bowl eligible teams: 4
Wins over I-AA opponents: 0
Remaining games:
South Florida (7-3)
Pittsburgh (6-4)
Connecticut (4-5)
Wins over BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
Kentucky (6-4)
Kansas State (7-4)
#7 West Virginia (8-1)
Wins over non-BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
Middle Tennessee State (7-3)
Wins over teams on the bubble:
Miami (5-5)
Cincinnati (5-5)

Arguments for: Only loss was to undefeated Rutgers, and had a big win over West Virginia.
Arguments against: Lost to Rutgers. Besides West Virginia, haven't really played anyone (Miami ended up sucking this year).

West Virginia
Wins: 8
Losses: 1 [to #12 Louisville (8-1)]
Wins over BCS teams: 6
Wins over non-BCS teams: 3
Wins over bowl eligible teams: 2
Wins over I-AA opponents: 1
Remaining games:
Pittsburgh (6-4)
South Florida (7-3)
#8 Rutgers (9-0)
Wins over BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
#21 Maryland (8-2)
Wins over non-BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
East Carolina (6-4)
Wins over teams on the bubble:
Marshall (4-6)
Connecticut (4-5)
Cincinnati (5-5)

Arguments for: Loss was to another 1-loss top-15 team on the road. Beat ACC Atlantic leader Maryland.
Arguments against: Maryland is their only decent win - they have only beaten 2 bowl eligible teams. One of the weakest schedules in the country.

Florida
Wins: 9
Losses: 1 [to #15 Auburn (9-2)]
Wins over BCS teams: 7
Wins over non-BCS teams: 2
Wins over bowl eligible teams: 6
Wins over I-AA opponents: 0
Remaining games:
I-AA Western Carolina (2-8 in I-AA)
Florida State (5-5)
SEC Championship [likely against #6 Arkansas (9-1)
Wins over BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
#23 Tennessee (7-3)
Kentucky (6-5)
Alabama (6-5)
#9 LSU (8-2)
Georgia (7-4)
Wins over non-BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
Southern Mississippi (6-4)
Wins over teams on the bubble:
South Carolina (5-5)

Arguments for: Won SEC East, played a difficult SEC schedule. Only loss was to a good Auburn team on the road.
Arguments against: Wins aren't as impressive in retrospect, and has looked unimpressive since loss - close calls against Georgia, Vandy, and South Carolina.

Southern Cal
Wins: 8
Losses: 1 [to Oregon State (6-4)]
Wins over BCS teams: 8
Wins over non-BCS teams: 0
Wins over bowl eligible teams: 6
Wins over I-AA opponents: 0
Remaining games:
#17 California (8-2)
#5 Notre Dame (9-1)
UCLA (5-5)
Wins over BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
#6 Arkansas (9-1)
#22 Nebraska (8-3)
Washington State (6-5)
Arizona State (6-5)
Oregon State (6-4)
Oregon (7-3)
Wins over non-BCS conference bowl eligible teams:
NONE
Wins over teams on the bubble:
Arizona (5-5)

Arguments for: Played one of toughest schedules in the country, with big wins over Arkansas, Nebraska, and Oregon.
Arguments against: Lost to a horrible Oregon State team, by far the worst loss of any of the 1-loss teams. Barely beat hapless Washington, Arizona State, and Washington State.

So there they are, the 1-loss contenders heading down the stretch (there are other 1-loss teams that don't really have any shot). We still have a lot of games to play, and it should be exciting to see how it shakes out.

FIVE GAMES THAT WILL DECIDE THE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER:
LSU at Arkansas - Nov. 24
Florida at Florida State - Nov. 25
Notre Dame at Southern Cal - Nov. 25
Rutgers at West Virginia - Dec. 2
SEC Championship game: Florida vs. Arkansas - Dec. 2

Have fun, and enjoy the ride.