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✦ TOP STORYLINES: NOTRE DAME VS. OKLAHOMA pride and tradition in their program as well." This visit by Notre Dame has special meaning to the state of Oklahoma because no school has had its football program's number like the Irish, who are 8-1 against the Sooners — including an amazing 4-0 in Norman. The most famous, of course, was the 7-0 triumph in 1957 that snapped Oklahoma's NCAA-record 47-game winning streak. This is a State Pride game, similar to when Notre Dame visited Alabama — which was 0-4 all time against the Irish — in 1986 under first-year head coach Lou Holtz. The game was a crusade for the Crimson Tide, and it won handily 28-10. This 2012 Notre Dame team should be more established as a program than that 1986 Irish unit, but it will still be entering one of the most difficult venues for the opposition to win. "People that have any recollection or remembrance, this is big time and very important," said Jay Wilkinson, son of 1949-63 Oklahoma head coach Bud Wilkinson, in an interview with Sooner Nation this summer. "I think it's the most important game this year — and normally I'd say it's Oklahoma-Texas." If there is some comfort Notre Dame can take, it's that Oklahoma has lost some of its home mojo the past two seasons. In Stoops' first 12 seasons from 1999-2010, Oklahoma's only two de- feats at home were to Oklahoma State (2001) and TCU (2005). However, it now has lost two straight years, first to Texas 10 YEARS AFTER Earlier this year, Blue & Gold Illustrated drew on some of the eerie parallels between the 2002 Notre Dame team and the 2012 edition: • Both began the year unranked, moved to No. 20 after the second game and vaulted all the way to No. 12 and No. 11 after vanquishing a top‑10 ranked team in the third game. • Both the 2002 and 2012 teams were tied 17‑17 with Purdue in the fourth quarter before winning 24‑17 and 20‑17, respectively. • The 2002 team swept the Big Ten trio of Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue for the first time in nine years, while the 2012 unit did it for the first time in 10 seasons. • Both were on the cover of Sports Illustrated after a 4‑0 start, and both were heralded West Conference foe Air Force 21‑14. In the seventh game of 2012, the Irish were taken to the wall by former MWC member BYU before prevailing 17‑14. Now comes the interesting part. On Oct. 26 of that year, a 7‑0 and top‑five Notre Dame team entered the cauldron at Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium, where the Seminoles were 84‑5 (.944) in their last 89 games. The double‑digit underdog Irish were finally expected to "get theirs" and be exposed — but instead played their best game of the year, jumping ahead 34‑10 in their 34‑24 win. On Oct. 27 this year, a 7‑0 and top‑five ranked Notre Dame team will play at Oklahoma's Memorial Stadium, where the Sooners are 79‑4 (.952) in their last 83 games. The Irish are 11‑point underdogs … but will history repeat? for a staunch defense and an offense trying to find itself. • Notre Dame trailed Stanford 7‑3 at halftime in 2002 and it trailed the Cardinal 10‑3 this year, but won both times. • In the seventh game of 2002, Notre Dame had to fight to the end to defeat Mountain — Lou Somogyi ✦ PAGE 9