Read Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer’s arguments on which teams they feel could be a surprise contender for the BCS Title Game.
When the first AP Top 25 college football poll came out for the 2009 season, The Sports Debates headquarters was abuzz. You see, everyone here loves college football. We follow and write about all sports, but college football seems to have a special place in all of our hearts.
The top 10 of the poll is a who’s who among powerhouse programs for the 2009 season, as it should be. The top 10 is complete with the sleeper du jour, Mississippi (who I would have chosen if they had fallen to 11th in the poll).
My colleagues have attempted to make the easiest arguments, with Loyal Homer picking the 11th ranked team in LSU and Bleacher Fan picking the 12th ranked team in California (guess who picked first?). REAL bold move.
Bold is my middle name. Yup, Sports “Bold” Geek is selecting Notre Dame and encouraging all football fans these words. There are three primary reasons why I feel Notre Dame will surprise the college football world this season and make it to the BCS Championship game. (Side note: please do not misconstrue my argument in favor of Notre Dame as an endorsement of Lou Holtz and Beano Cook. I still think they are mostly Golden Domer Homers. I, on the other hand, am not. So, the following sarcastic but realistic Notre Dame argument is more of a reflection of the fact that I genuinely believe they have a chance.)
Reason #1: Pressure
Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis has to win a lot of games this year. He just has to. His arrogance is now wearing very thin. It is easy to be arrogant when you are winning a bunch of games and expectations are low. Now that expectations are high, the arrogance appears borne out of ignorance. It is Weis’ trademark arrogance that has landed him the coveted number one spot on a Top Five Villains in College Football list on ESPN. It is a good thing for Weis that no one hands out Super Bowl rings. He earned them and is a good coach. The NFL has tremendous pressure to win, and Weis stepped up every time. It is fair to expect him to do it again. He feels the heat on his seat and increasingly loud frustration of the boosters.
Reason #2: Schedule
It is almost unfair. For a team with 12 regular season games on their schedule against Division 1A opponents, any expert would be hard-pressed to find a weaker group. The great Notre Dame and their national footprint have them hosting Nevada in the first game of the season, then visiting a very weak Michigan program. The third game of the season actually promises to be one of the two tough games on their schedule (both of which are at home). In week three the Spartans from Michigan State visit, a storied rivalry with a program from East Lansing that has improved leaps and bounds under head coach Mike D’Antonio. If the Irish get by Michigan State, the only other tough game they face is when they host USC, led by a true freshman quarterback for the first time and a defense gutted by the NFL draft. Other than those two games, the Irish play at Purdue, host Washington, take their bye the week before USC comes to town, then hosts Boston College before traveling to Texas to play Washington State (THAT makes perfect sense, right), then home against Navy, at an perpetually underachieving Pittsburgh, hosting Connecticut, then at a weak Stanford. Not tough. Especially when considering reason number three.
Reason #3: Personnel
Sure, it is easy to say Notre Dame has “no talent” but it is really not true. Third year starter Jimmy Clausen returns at quarterback along with his favorite target, junior wide receiver Golden Tate. Junior running back Armando Allen returns to pace the running game and provide a dynamic. So, the skill positions are set with good talent. The offensive line is also very experienced with four seniors and one sophomore. Allen will find plenty of holes to run through. On the defensive side of the ball, all that is necessary to point out is that 10 starters are returning. Ten. There is plenty of depth and experience on defense for Notre Dame.
Holtz and Cook cannot claim Notre Dame will win it with a straight face because of their school ties. Objectively, I believe Notre Dame will legitimately surprise the college football world today. And I will gloat about my bold prediction when it does.
