Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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THE FIFTH QUARTER LOU SOMOGYI N otre Dame's football schedules usu- ally are demarcated into three cat- egories: musts, bubbles and steals. The "musts" are avoiding the egg- laying, head-scratching out-of-nowhere upsets that annually occur (other than 2012 and maybe 2006). They specifically happen at home, i.e., to 2-8 Syracuse in 2008, UConn and Navy in 2009, Tulsa in 2010 and South Florida in 2011. Sometimes it will take place on the road, too, most notably at Pitt last year or the 35-17 debacle versus Navy in 2010. Second are the bubbles, the flip-a-coin games. Finally, the steals are al- most always on the road and where Notre Dame is the underdog, often by a double-digit margin. The popular consensus among college football pundits in 2014 is another pro- verbial, solid 9-3 type of regular season for the Fighting Irish. We have grown to abhor the word "solid." Loosely translated to college football terms, it means you are the "B" student applying for admission to Har- vard, the nice, unathletic guy attempting to ask the head cheerleader to the prom, or the comfortable middle-class individ- ual aspiring to purchase a Lamborghini as your next vehicle. With an astounding zero major bowl victories the past 20 years, and only two top-10 finishes (2005 and 2012), Notre Dame has fallen into a relative vegeta- tive state with its college football status. It remains recognized, it continues to be acknowledged … but it's not classified what it once was. Hence, 9-3 would be perceived as a "solid" 2014 campaign. MUSTS: Rice, Purdue (Indianapolis), Syracuse (East Rutherford, N.J), North Carolina, Navy, Northwestern and Louis- ville. This is the first time since 1903 Notre Dame will not play any of its first six games on the opponent's home field or in its foe's hometown. The beauty of this year's schedule also is that possibly its three least imposing challengers on paper — Rice, Purdue and Syracuse — are among the first four games, providing opportunity to grow. North Carolina is the quintessential upset special between Stanford and Florida State. Navy will remain a chal- lenge with quarterback Keenan Reyn- olds at the throttle. Meanwhile, North- western took Ohio State, Nebraska and Michigan to the wall last year and has a veteran team returning, and a Bobby Petrino-coached Louisville outfit will provide fits. 'Solid' Status Needs More Concrete Steps Quarterback Everett Golson helped direct the 12-1 season in 2012, but he needed to be relieved in the home wins ver- sus Michigan and Stanford. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND