Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Notre Dame By Andrew Owens Saturday carries grand implications for both Notre Dame and Florida State. With defending Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston and others likely headed to the NFL after this season, this is probably head coach Jimbo Fisher's best shot at his second national champi- onship with the Seminoles for the next few years. However, it won't be the end of the world in Tallahassee, Fla., if Florida State fails to repeat as champions. Considering the Seminoles are less than a year re- moved from their most recent ti- tle and with their recruiting show- ing no signs of a program falling from the elite, Notre Dame has much more to gain with a victory. The Irish seem to be a year ahead of schedule, considering the talent they lost from last year's team and the fact that the vast majority of this squad will return in 2015. Notre Dame is in its best two-year window for a championship since the early 1990s, and a win over the Seminoles would cement the Irish as championship contenders. If the past 20 years have taught the Irish any- thing, it's that it takes a special kind of coach to develop Notre Dame into an elite program, more so — no offense to Fisher — than it does at Florida State. It's no secret that Brian Kelly has flirted with the NFL in the past and probably will in the future, so it's important for Notre Dame to take advantage of a championship run when it has the opportunity. Both/Neither By Douglas Farmer Not to take the easy way out, but both Notre Dame and Florida State have the same to gain in their much-hyped matchup. The winner snags a front-runner spot for the inaugural College Foot- ball Playoff. The loser is all but eliminated. Sure, Florida State won the title a year ago, but with all the negative press and scrutiny that has surrounded the team this year — spe- cifically reigning Heisman winner Jameis Winston — another run to a title, or even the title game, would provide strong vali- dation for this team and the atmosphere around it. If the Seminoles fall short of the championship, the public will further criti- cize the handling, or the lack thereof, of Winston's off-field transgressions by both university administration and the Semi- noles' coaching staff. Florida State needs a win this weekend and a subsequent title chase to limit that talk. Notre Dame, meanwhile, needs a win this week- end and a subsequent title chase to prove 2012 was not a fluke. Toppling the defending national champions will lend this season and Irish head coach Brian Kelly legitimacy and silence any crit- ics claiming the Irish schedule has softened from preseason expectations. Thanks to Michigan's im- plosion and the Pac-12 teams beating up on each other, the schedule has weakened. That makes it even more important for Notre Dame to take care of business against its remaining top foes. Whoever wins Saturday will gain the inside track toward entry into the College Football Playoff. Who- ever loses will see that dream start to dwindle. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH SCHOOL HAS MORE TO GAIN THIS WEEKEND: NOTRE DAME OR FLORIDA STATE? Listen to the discussion in this digital exclusive JAMEIS WINSTON