Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME NOVEMBER INTRIGUES YOU MOST? Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT NON-NOTRE DAME GAME IN Saturday evening, hustle home to turn on this primetime game between the top two football teams on the West Coast. Forget the fact that Or- egon's offense has the realis- tic potential to score on every snap. Forget that USC's Matt Barkley and his fully stocked arsenal of playmakers have one of the few attacks that can keep pace with the Ducks. This game has major postsea- son implications, and might be one of Notre Dame's only chances to climb any higher in the BCS rankings no matter what the Irish do from here on out. A Trojans victory in the Coliseum would knock Or- egon out of the top four in the current BCS standings and possibly make room for Notre Dame near the top. If the Ducks win, Notre Dame's season finale against USC takes on even more meaning. The Trojans would need to win to feel safe about their BCS bowl chances prior to the Pac-12 championship game. The country's top two teams — Alabama and USC-Oregon — Nov. 3 By Dan Murphy When Notre Dame finishes playing Pittsburgh Heisman Trophy candidate and USC quarterback Matt Barkley will have quite the test Nov. 3 when the Trojans face Oregon in a Pac-12 clash. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA one day. If Notre Dame manages to run the table, it should be enough to overtake Kansas State, which is currently No. 3, in the final BCS rankings. But what about Alabama and Florida, which occupy the top two spots, respectively? Those two programs are on a colli- sion course for the Southeast- ern Conference championship game Dec. 1, with one team's perfect season to be ruined at the last minute. Of course, Alabama has to get by LSU Nov. 3 in Baton Rouge. Flor- ida needed a win last week against No. 12 Georgia to even remain in the discussion, with the rivalry game against the Seminoles looming. A loss by either the Gators SEC championship — Dec. 1 By Wes Morgan Let's expand the month of November by just Florida — also have big tests in November (LSU for the Crimson Tide and FSU for the Gators). But those aren't against teams that are playing like legitimate title contenders, and they won't have the same implications on Notre Dame's season as USC-Oregon could. ing Irish. Not only has the national championship game featured an SEC school in each of the last six seasons, last year included Alabama and LSU. If you're not from the South, odds are you're tired of this trend, but it looks like a seventh consecutive year is inevitable. There's no way, though, a one- loss SEC team is going to override an undefeated Notre Dame squad, which is another reason why Irish independence is worthwhile — there's no conference championship game to potentially lose at the end of the year to wipeout a pristine season and hopes of a shot at claiming the crystal football. or Crimson Tide between now and the end of the season opens the door for the Fight-