BY LOU SOMOGYI
A
popular joke about Notre Dame's
football schedule is making the
rounds these days (and other years
too).
A friend of a Notre Dame fan asks
who the Fighting Irish are playing this
weekend. When the Notre Dame fol-
lower gives the answer, the friend asks
how good the opponent is.
"It depends," the Irish fan replies.
"If Notre Dame loses, then the oppo-
nent is good. If Notre Dame wins, then
the opponent is lousy."
Head coach Brian Kelly can appreci-
ate that sentiment. While preparing for
the contest at Arizona State Nov. 8, the
Notre Dame head coach often heard
that his team might finally beat a de-
cent foe in 2014. In the Nov. 4 poll re-
leased by the 12-person College Foot-
ball Playoff selection committee, the
No. 9 Sun Devils were one spot ahead
of No. 10 Notre Dame.
The repeated emphasis was the
Irish, despite losing a controversial
31-27 game at No. 2 Florida State on
Oct. 18, lacked any quality wins dur-
ing their 7-1 start, thus their lower rat-
ing.
Of the seven teams Notre Dame had
defeated, only two — Rice and Stan-
UNDER THE DOME
NO APOLOGIES NEEDED
Brian Kelly says the intent of playing
a strong schedule was always there
Due in part to the rugged nature of Notre Dame's
schedule, senior tight end Ben Koyack was on the
field for a team-high 636 plays during the first
eight games of the season.
PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA
