Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Game Preview: Rutgers Top Storylines By Lou Somogyi Not Going Through The Motions Contrary to popular belief, bowl games often are not exciting for a football team. The No. 1 question to ask when one is picking winners for a bowl pool is: "Which team wants to be there, and which one might be going through the motions?" Exhibit A: In the 2010 Sun Bowl, 7-5 Notre Dame was thrilled to be there after starting 4-5, while Miami was blasé and perhaps not excited about the snow, especially with an interim coach in place of the fired Randy Shannon. It showed when the Irish scored three touchdowns in the first 17 minutes and took a 27-3 halftime lead on their way to a 33-17 victory. There are dozens of examples through the years, including a 12-0 Alabama team in 2008 that was on the cusp of playing for the national title but lost a heartbreaker to Florida in the SEC championship game. Its consolation prize was a trip to the Sugar Bowl against heavy underdog Utah from the less esteemed Mountain West Conference — and 11 minutes into the game the Utes were up 21-0 en route to a 31-17 victory. For Alabama, that game was a letdown. For Utah, it was the biggest game in school history. The difference in attitude showed. In a nutshell, that's what Notre Dame-Rutgers might be, and it is imperative for the Fighting Irish to not just go through the motions. Back in August, an invitation to the Pinstripe Bowl was not what Notre Dame was seeking to achieve. For Rutgers, though, a victory might be heralded among the greatest in school annals. Notre Dame is expected to rout the 6-6 Scarlet Knights, which lost four of their last six games — two by 35 points and another by 24, in addition to a 28-17 defeat at the hands of a 1-9 Connecticut team Nov. 30. Their lone victories over the last six games were against two 2-10 outfits, Temple (23-20) and South Florida (31-6). In Notre Dame's 33-game bowl history, Rutgers probably surpasses Hawaii in 2008 as the least formidable opponent the Irish ever faced in the postseason. From the outside looking in, it's a nowin situation for the Irish. If they win, it's shrugged off as meaningless against an inferior opponent. If they lose, they get ridiculed to no end. As the Notre Dame head football coach, Brian Kelly faces the task of tuning out the outside "noise" about the game. "I'm a football coach, so I don't think in those terms," Kelly said of the nothing to gain, everything to lose theme. "...[Rutgers] is going to be in the Big Ten this year. If we don't play well, they'll beat us. We have everything to lose."